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GENEALOGY 
941.6501 
OLld 
V.4 


M.U. 


i^^nrREArDGy 


COLLECTION 


6EN 


ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


Ililillllllllliilii         GENEALOGY 

's'l'sSS  00675  2031  OLld^^^^ 

V.4 


AN  HISTORICAL  ACCOraT 

0_F   THE 

DIOCESE 

OF 

ANCIENT  AND  MODERN, 


THE  REV.  JAMES  O'LAVERTY,  M.R.I.A., 

Fellow  of  the  Royal  Historical  <&  Archceological  Association  of 

Ireland. 

PARISH    PRIEST    OF    HOLYWOOD. 


'  'Remember  the  days  of  old,  think  upon  every  generation ;  ask  thy 
father,  and  he  will  declare  to  thee :  thy  elders,  and  they  will  tell 
thee." — Deft,  xxxii.  7. 


VOL.   IV. 


This  volume  treats  exclusively  of  that  part  of  the  Diocese  of  Connor 
which  is  in  the  ancient  territory  of  Dal-Riada. 

fSacb   Volume  is  Complete  in  itself.) 


DUBLIN: 

JAMES    DUFFY    &    SONS,    15,    WELLINGTON    QUAY, 
AND   lA,    PATERNOSTER    ROW,    LONDON. 

1887. 


BELFAST : 

MOAT  BROS.,  PRINTERS, 

ROSEMARY  STREET. 


[ALL  lUOH  IS  RESERVKD.  J 


PREFACE 


1456941 

HAVING  written  a  Preface  to  each  of  the  three  preceding 
volumes  I  feel  that,  in.  that  respect  at  least,  I  have 
^-      sufficiently  discharged  my  duty  to  the  public ;  there  may, 
however,  be  some  of  my  readers  who  are  not  aware,  that  it 
^       was  only  in  the  intervals  of  a  busy  professional  life,  that  I 
y'      found  time  to  write  and  to  have  printed  this  book,  sheet  by 
sheet,  as  leisure  permitted.     For  such,  this  explanation  may 
be  necessary  to  enable  them  to  understand,  that  it  is  only  the 
efflux  of  time  that  has  rendered  innacurate,  in  some  cases, 
such  expressions  as  :  the  present  proprietor  ;  the  present  parish 
I    priest ;  when,  during  the  three  years  that  these  sheets  were 
^     passing  through  the  press,  the  present,  in  several  instances, 
>     has  become  the  past.     This  volume,  treating  of  the  parishes 
^     in    the    territory    once    named    Dalrieda,    which,    first    by 
r^     conquest  and  afterwards  by  patent,  was  conferred  on   the 
v.,     MacDonnells — whose  history  has  been  so  faithfully  written 
""    by  Rev.  George  Hill — is  largely  indebted  to  that  valuable 
book.   The   MacDonnells  of  Antrim.      I  have  also  availed 
myself  of  the  Antiquarian  Memoirs  written  by  the  officers  of 
the    Ordnance    Survey.        These    contain     descriptions    and 
measurements   of  objects  of  antiquarian   interest,  many  of 
which    have    now    ceased    to    exist.       In    the   Appendix  I 
have  given  the  substance  of  such  of  the  Ordnance  Papers 
as  referred  to  parishes,  that   I  had  treated  of  in  previous 


volumes,  before  I  obtained  access  to  those  Papers.  I  did  so 
because  I  knew  that,  unless  I  published  them,  they  were  not 
likely  ever  to  reach  the  public.  Readers,  who  are  not  pro- 
fessional antiquarians,  may  think  that  too  much  attention 
has  been  devoted  to  rude  stone  monuments  of  a  remote 
Pagan  period,  but  the  part  of  the  country  treated  of  is 
exceptionally  rich  in  those  remains ;  and  some  triangular 
monuments  of  that  class,  which  occur  in  the  parish  of 
Ballintoy,  are  of  a  character  so  rare  that  it  was  until  lately 
supposed  that  they  were  only  to  be  found  in  Scandinavia. 
I  have  carefully  noted  down  the  places  at  which  Mass  was 
celebrated  during  times  of  persecution — for  the  sites  of 
Churches,  whether  ancient  or  modern,  are  more  likely  to  be 
remembered,  and  the  rude  rock  in  the  lonely  glen,  on  which 
the  outlawed  priest  celebrated  Mass,  will,  in  another  century, 
be  an  object  of  much  greater  interest  than  the  sculptured 
cross  on  the  cloistered  abbey.  This  volume  concludes  the 
parishes  of  Down  and  Connor  ;  and  the  series,  each  of  which, 
complete  in  itself,  treats  of  a  group  of  adjacent  parishes, 
contains  an  account  of  the  principal  events  that  occurred  in 
almost  every  townland  from  the  shores  of  Carlingford  Lough 
to  Portstewart.  If  1  have  contributed  to  teach  the  people 
that  almost  every  field,  in  which  they  labour,  or  through 
which  they  pass  on  business  or  for  amusement,  contains  some 
object  of  interest  connected  with  their  country's  history,  I 
have  contributed  not  a  little  to  make  them  patriots ;  but,  in 
the  words  of  Camden,  If  there  be  such  as  are  desirous  to  be 
strangers  in  their  own  soile,  and  Jorrainers  in  their  own  citie, 
they  may  so  continue,  and  therein  Jlatter  themselves.  For 
such  I  have  not  written  these  lines,  and  taken  tJiese  pains. 

HoLYWooD,  June  1st,  1887. 


THE  DIOCESE  OF  CONNOR. 


THE  two  great  territorial  divisions  of  ancient  times,  which 
are  now  comprised  in  the  united  diocese  of  Down  and 
Connor,  were  Dalaradia  and  Dalriada.  All  the  parishes  of 
which  we  have  hitherto  treated,  with  the  exception  of  small 
portions  of  the  Parishes  of  Larne,  Glenravel,and  Portglenone, 
are  within  the  former  territory ;  and  all  the  remaining 
parishes,  which  we  have  yet  to  treat  of,  belonging  to  the 
Diocese  of  Connor,  were  comprised  in  the  territory  of 
Dalriada.  Ussher,  in  his  Antiquities  of  the  British  Churches, 
says — "That  tract  of  the  County  Antrim,  which  we  call 
Route,  was  known  to  the  Irish  by  the  name  of  Dalrieda. 
It  extends  (as  the  late  most  noble  Randal f,  Earl  of  Antrim, 
informed  me),  from  the  Bush  to  the  Cross  of  Glenfinneaght, 
of  which  I  find  mention  made  in  those  ancient  Irish  verses, 
bearing  the  title  of  '  Patrick's  Testament/  a  distance  of 
thirty  miles.  The  following  old  Irish  verse  being  brought 
forward  in  support  : — 

"  0  Bhuais  d'a  neirgliid  ealta,  go  crois  Gleanna  Finiieachta  ; 

Ag  Sin  Dal-Riada  na  rann,  giodh  be  as  eolach  san  f hearann. " 
"  From  the  Bush,  from  which  birds  rise,  to  the  Cross  of  Glen 
Finneachta  ; 
There  is  Dal-Riada  of  the  sub-divisions  ;  whoever  be  he  who 
has  knowledge  in  the  land." 


2  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOE. 

Glen-Finneachta  is  the  modern  Glynn ;  though  a  little  south 

of  the  Larne  Kiver,  Glynn,  and  the  mouth  of  the  River 

Bush   define  with  tolerable  accuracy  the  territory,  which  is, 

perhaps,  better  expi-essed  as  extending   "  from  the  Cutts  of 

Coleraine  to  the  Cui'ran  of  Larne."     It  is  probable  that  for 

some  time  the  territory  extended  to   the  River  Roe,  or  at 

least  to  Benyevenagh,  the  mountain  above  Magilligan  ;  for 

the  Four  Masters  record  a  battle  fought,  a.d,  1182,  by  Donal 

M'Loughlin,  against  the  English  at    '  Dunbo  iu  Dal-Riada." 

The  family  of  Niall,  of  the  Nine   Hostages,  restored  to  the 

Ulidians,  as  a  reward  for  their  assistance  at  the  Battle  of 

Ocha,  A.D.  478,  the  district  extending  west  of  the  Bann  to 

Benyevenagh   (see  Vol,  1.   p.  xviii);  and  as   the  Synod  of 

Rathbreasil  assigned  to  the  Bishop  of  Connor  all  the  territory 

which   the  Ulidians  and  Dal-Riadans  possessed  since  the 

introduction  of  Christianity,  it   mentions  that  mountain  as 

one  of   the  boundaries  of   the   Diocese  of  Connor-.      This 

explains  the  entry  in  the  Four  Masters  at  a.d.  1182  ;  but 

long  previous  to  that  date,  when  the   descendants  of  Niall 

drove  the   Ulidians  over  the  Bann,  that  river   became  the 

boundary  of  both  the  diocese  and  the  territory.     Daliiada 

was   divided   into   two   large    districts — 1st,    The   Glynns, 

so-called  from  its  consisting  of  several  large  glens,  extended 

from  Larne  to  the  vicinity  of  Ballycastle,  and  contained  the 

barony  of  Glenarm  and  part  of  Gary.     2nd,  The  Route,  a 

modernized  form  of  (Dal)  Riada,  which  comprehended  a  part 

of  the  barony  of  Cary,and  the  baronies  of  Dunluce,Kilconway 

and  Liberties  of  Coleraine.     At  times,  the  district  of  the 

Glynns  is  considered  a  territory  separate  from  Dalriada,  and 

even  asbelonging  to  Dalaradia;tliustlie77-<^;rtr</<eZ//e  mentions 

"  Kil-Chonadhain    (pronounced   Kilchonyn,  supposed  to  be 

St.  Cunning),  and  Gluaire  (Glore  or  Tickmacrevan),"  among 


DAL-RIADA.  3 

the  churches  which  St,  Patrick  erected  in  Dalaradia.  It  is 
probable  that  the  early  inhabitants  of  the  territory  were 
Oruithnidh,  "  Cruthneans,"  or  Irish  Picts,  a  race  whose 
history  is  not  well  understood,  but  who  possessed  the  greater 
portion  of  Scotland,  and  were  located  in  Dalaradia.  and  in 
many  other  parts  of  Ireland,  and  were  mixed  by  inter- 
marriages with  the  Irians. 

Dalriada  is  named  from  Cairbre  Eighfada  (pronounced 
Ri-ada — "  the  long  arm'd"),  whose  father,  Conaire  II.,  King 
of  Ireland,  was  killed  A.D,  220.  Dal  signifies  descenda)its, 
and  in  a  secondary  sense,  territory  of  descendants.  The 
word  therefore  signifies  the  descendants  of  Riada,  or  the 
territory  of  the  descendants  of  Riada.  The  mother  of  Cairbre 
Riada  was  a  daughter  of  Conn  of  the  Hundred  Battles,  and 
he  was  therefore  a  cousin  of  Cormac,  a  grandson  of  Conn, 
whose  reign  was  rendered  illustrious  by  his  victories  over 
the  rival  race  of  the  Ulidians,  and  over  their  allies  in  Albany, 
or  Scotland.  It  is  probable  that  it  was  during  this  reign 
that  Cairbre  Riada  established  himself  in  the  territories  in 
the  north  of  Antrim  and  Scotland,  which  were  afterwards 
named  from  his  descendants.  Before  that  period,  and  even 
previous  to  the  Christian  Era  Irish  Colonies  settled  in 
Albany.  It  would  seem,  however,  that  until  after  the 
introduction  of  Christianity,  the  descendants  of  Cairbre  were 
principally  located  in  the  Irish  Dal-riada.  When  St.  Patrick 
visited  the  territory  he  found  it  parcelled  out  among  the 
twelve  sons  of  Ere,  the  fourth  in  descent  from  Cairbre  Riada. 
The  youngest  of  these,  Fergus,  received  the  saint  with 
kindness  and  obtained  his  special  blessing.  About  the  vear 
500,  this  Fergus  and  his  brothers,  Loam  and  Aongus,  led 
another  colony  from  the  Antrim  Dalriada  to  Albany,  and 
became  masters  of  Western   Scotland,  as  Argyleshire,  Bute, 


4  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

the  Hebredies.  In  consequence  of  the  extent  of  the 
subjugated  territory,  the  Albanian  Dalriada  became  much 
more  celebrated  than  the  parent  Dalriada  in  County  Antrim. 
The  descendants  of  Loarn  and  Fergus  ruled  in  alternate 
succession  the  Albanian  Dalriada.  until  the  9th  century, 
when  Kenneth  MacAlpin,  the  eleventh  in  descent  from 
Fergus,  conquered  the  kingdom  of  the  Picts  in  the  year  842, 
and  thus  became  King  of  all  Scotland.  Sixty-one  kings  of 
the  Dalriada  race,  according  to  O'Flagherty's  On;ygia  and 
other  authorities,  reigned  over  Albany  during  783  years, 
from  King  Loarn  in  503  to  the  death  of  Alexander  III., 
King  of  Scotland,  a.d.  1286.  The  Scottish  kings  of  the 
Houses  of  Baliol  and  Bruce,  and  lastly  the  house  of  Stuart, 
Kings  of  Scotland,  England,  and  Ireland,  wers  maternally 
descended  fx-om  the  Dalriadic  Princes.  James  VI.,  of 
Scotland,  and  the  1st  of  England,  was  the  twenty-fourth  in 
descent  from  Fergus  MacAlpin,  and  the  thirty-fifth  in  descent 
from  Fergus  MacErc,  to  whom  St.  Patrick  imparted  his 
blessing  on  some  Antrim  hill-side.  "  There  is  a  double 
cause  "  said  King  James  in  a  speech  delivered  at  the  Council 
Table  in  White  Hall,  on  the  21st  April,  1613,  "why  I 
should  be  careful  of  the  welfare  of  that  people  (the  Irish), 
first  as  King  of  England,  and  also  as  King  of  Scotland,  for 
the  ancient  Kings  of  Scotland  are  descended  of  the  Kings  of 
Ireland."  Co-s.' a.* Jlihernia  Anglicana.  But  to  return  to  the 
parent  Dalriada  ;  after  the  emigration  of  Fergus  and  his 
brothers,  its  ruling  chiefs  were  selected  from  the  descendants 
of  his  uncle  Olcu,  the  memory  of  whom  is  perhaps  preserved 
in  Drumbulcin,  the  name  of  an  ancient  mound  near 
Rasharkin  ;  the  territory,  however,  never  rose  to  importance, 
and  Dalriada  was  a  mere  sub-territory  of  the  kingdom  of 
Ulidia.     The  Book  of  Eights  records  among  the  stipends, 


DAL-RIADA.  D 

which  the  King  of  Uladh  was  by  custom  required  to  pay  to 
his  sub-chiefs — "  The  stipend  of  the  King  of  Dal-Riada, 
three  steeds,  black,  well  trained,  three  women,  three  large 
bondmen,  and  three  ships,  right  gallant."  The  same 
authority  tells  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  territory  paid  to 
the  King  of  Uladh — "  Thrice  fifty  oxen  from  Dal-Riada  ai*e 
due  of  them,  and  thrice  fifty  fatted  pigs  that  have  not 
produced  young,''  but  the  prose  tract,  which  is  probably 
more  modern  than  the  poetic  enumeration,  from  which  the 
recital  already  given  is  taken,  says — '*  Six  times  fifty  oxen 
from  Dal-Riada,  and  six  times  fifty  hogs."  It  would  seem 
that  the  descendants  of  Cairbre  Riada  weakened  tjieir 
strength  in  the  Irish  Dal-Riada  by  their  successful  invasion 
of  Albany,  or  Scotland;  but  how  long  they  remained 
powerful  in  their  original  territory,  or  what  family  names 
they  assumed,  after  the  establishment  of  surnames  in  the 
tenth  century,  we  have  no  documents  to  prove.  It  seems 
that  they  were  subjugated  at  an  early  period  by  the  Clann 
Colla,  for  we  find  the  Ui  Tuirtre  and  Fir  Li,  of  whom 
O'Fhloinn  (O'Lyn),  a  descendant  of  Colla  Uais,  was  king, 
were  in  possession  of  Dal-Riada  at  the  period  of  the  English 
Invasion  in  1177.  The  Hy -Tuirtre  and  Fir  Li  were  two 
Heremonian  tribes  descended  from  Colla  Uais,  one  of  the 
three  brothers  called  the  "  Three  Collas,"  who  subdued  the 
Ultagh,or  Ulidians,and  wrested  from  them  the  greater  part  of 
Ulster  in  the  year  332.  This  Colla  Uais  had  a  son  named 
Fidchra  Tort,  from  whom  these  tribes  descend  and  from 
whom  the  Hy-Tuirtre  are  named.  Hy  or  Ui  signifies 
descendants  of,  and  Hy-Tuirtre,  descendants  of  Tort.  The 
territory  of  Hy-Tuirtre,  in  the  time  of  St.  Patrick,  compre- 
hended portions  of  the  modei"n  baronies  of  Loughinsholin 
("  the  lough  of  the  island  of  O'Lyn,")  and  Dungannon.     The 


O  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

Fir  Li  originally  occupied  a  portion  of  the  territory  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Bann.  MacFirbis  says  that  the  Fir  Li 
extended  from  Bior  to  Camus,  and  O'Dugan  describes  Li  as 
on  the  eastern  limit  of  Keenaght.  Their  territory  Magh  Li 
corresponded  with  the  modern  barony  of  Coleraine.  Both 
these  tribes  were  forced  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  Bann  by 
the  increasing  power  of  the  Kinel-Owen. 

The  Book  of  Rights  has  preserved  for  us  an  account  of  the 
galling  tribute  which  the  Kinel  Owen  princes  imposed  on 
these  tribes  before  they  drove  them  to  the  east  of  the  Bann  : 
— "Ten  hundred  milch-cows,  a  hundred  beeves,  fifty  oxen, 
fifty  hogs  from  the  Fir  Li," — "  A  hundred  milch-cows,  fifty 
hogs,  fifty  cloaks  from  the  Ui  Tuirtre."  At  the  same  time 
the  king  of  the  Kinel  Owen  gave  to  these  tribes  presents,  or, 
as  they  were  termed^  "  payments  and  stipends  for  refection 
and  escort."' — "  Six  bondmen,  six  horses,  six  swords,  six 
shields  to  the  king  of  the  Fir  Li." — "Three  women,  three 
bondmen,  three  steeds  to  the  king  of  the  Ui  Tuirtre"* 

Dr.  Beeves  in  his  Ecclesiastical  Antiquities,  has  collected, 

*The  poetic  version  has — "Three  women  with  fair  heads  (of  hair) 
and  three  large  enslaved  bondmen."  Slavery  was  unfortunately  an 
institution  of  the  country.  The  Irish  supplied  themselves  with 
slaves  from  the  Saxons,  to  such  an  extent,  that  an  Irish  bishop  ascribed 
the  English  invasion  to  a  punishment  inflicted  by  God  on  the  Irish 
for  their  cruelty  to  Saxon  slaves.  At  times  however  free-born 
children  were  sold  by  their  parents  into  slavery.  In  the  Life  of  St. 
Bridget  in  the  Leahhar  Breac  the  following  passage  occurs  : — "  He 
and  his  wife  (Bridget's  father  and  stepmother)  decided  to  sell  Bridget 
as  a  slave,  and  so  he  went  into  his  chariot  and  took  Bridget  with  him, 
and  he  said  to  her,  '  It  is  not  through  honour  or  regard  for  thee  that 
J  am  bringing  thee  into  a  chariot,  but  to  take  thee  and  sell  thee  to 
grind  at  the  quern.'  "  The  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick  states,  that 
there  was  a  law  in  Ireland,  according  to  which,  slaves  should  become 
free  in  the  seventh  year. 


DAL-RIADA.  7 

chiefly  from  the  Four  Masters,  the  following  catalogue  of  the 
chieftains  of  the  Hy-Tuirtre. 

A.D:  668.  '■'  Moelfothartaigh,  son  of  Suibhne,  Chief  of 
the  Cenel-Tuirtre,  died." 

A.D,  728.  "  Reactabhra  O'Cathusaigh,  Chief  of  the 
Hy-Tuirtre,  died." 

A.D.  738.  "Muiredhach,  son  of  Fergus  Forcrad,  Lord  of 
the  Hy-Tuirtre,  died." 

A.D.  743.  "  Colman,  Bishop  of  Lessan  (Lissan),  strangled 
by  the  Hy-Tuirtre"  (An.  TJl.) 

A.D.  834.  "  Eochaidh,  son  of  Cucongultach,  Lord  of  the 
Hy-Tuirtre,  died." 

A.D.  1015.  "Conchobhar  O'Domhnallain  (Cnochar 
O'Donnellan),  Lord  of  Hy-Tuirtre,  slain  in  battle." 

A.D.  1059.  "Muredhac  O'Flann,  Lord  of  Hy-Tuirtre, 
died"  (An.  VI.) 

A.D.  1081.  "  Maolmithidh  O'Maolruanaigh,  Lord  of 
Hy-Tuirtre,  slain." 

A.D.  1121.  Cumaighe,  son  of  Deoradh  O'Flinn,  Lord  of 
Derlus,  drowned  in  Lough  Neagh." 

A.D.  1151.     "  Cuuladh  O'Flinn,  Lord  of  Siol-Cathusaigh." 

A.D.  1154.  "  MacDeoradh  O'Flinn  put  out  the  eyes  of 
his  son,  because  he  had  obtained  the  Lordship  of  Hy-Tuirtre 
to  the  prejudice  of  hi?  father's  rights  ;  MacDeoradh  banished 
to  Connaught  by  O'Lachlann." 

A.D.  1 158.  •«  Cuuladh,  son  of  Deoradh  O'Flinn,  Lord  of 
Hy-Tuirtre  and  Dal-Aradia,  died." 

A.D.  1159.  "  Cumaighe  O'Flinn,  Rex  O'Turtray," 
attests  the  charter  of  the  Abbey  of  Newry. 

A.D.  1176.  ''Cumaighe  O'Flinn,  Lord  of  Hy-Tuirtre, 
Fir-Lee,  and  Dal-Aradia,  was  slain  by  his  brother,  Cumidhe, 
aided  by  the  people  of  Fir-Li." 


O  DIOCESE  OF   CONNOR. 

A.D.  1177.  "  John  de  Courcy  was  opposed  in  his  advance 
upon  Hy-Tuirtre  and  Fir-Lee  by  Cumidhe  O'Flinn.  In  the 
following  year  having  again  invaded  Dal-Aradia,  he  en- 
countered Cumidhe  O'Flinn,  Lord  of  Hy-Tuirtre  and  Fir-Lee, 
and,  having  suffered  a  defeat,  he  fled  wounded  to  Dublin." 

A.D.  1181.  "The  Ulidians,  commanded  by  Rory 
MacDuinsleve  (now  Dunlevy  and  M'Alevy),  and  the  men  of 
Hy-Tuirtre  and  Fir-Lee,  commanded  by  Cumidhet  O'Flinn, 
were  defeated  by  the  men  of  Tullaghoge  O'Cathan  (O'Kane) 
having  led  an  army  from  Tyrone  across  by  Tiiaim  (Toome), 
plundered  Fir-Lee  and  Hy-  Tuirtre." 

A.D,  1215.     "  Euaidhri  O'Flinn,  Lord  of  Derlus,  died." 

A.D.  1218.  "  Murtogh  O'Flinn,  Lord  of  Hy-Tuirtre,  was 
slain  by  the  English." 

A.D.  1275.  "M.  O'Flin,  Rex  Turturi^'  and  five  other 
chieftains  addressed  a  letter  to  Edward  L,  exculpating 
tbemselves  from  the  blame  of  rebellion."     (Rymer  Feed.) 

A.D.  1291.     "  Bryan  O'Flinn,  Lord  of  Hy-Tuirtre,  died." 

A.D.  1314.  "  Eth  O'Flyn,  dux  Hibernicorum  de  Turtery" 
was  summoned  to  the  assistance  of  the  King  of  England 
against  the  Scots. 

A.D-  1359.  "Murtogh,  son  of  Thomas  O'Flinn,  of  Line 
(Moylinny),  heir  to  the  Lordship  of  Hy-Tuirtre,  was  slain  by 
Aodh,  son  of  Bryan,  son  of  Aodh  Buidhe  (Ee  Boy),  ONeill." 

A.D.  1368.     "Thomas  O'Flinn,  Lord  of  Hy-Tuirtre,  died." 

tCu-maighe  (pronounced  Cooey,  meaning  dog,  or  greyhound  of  the 
plain)  and  Cu-midhe  (p.  Coo-vee,  dog,  or  greyhound  of  Meatli)  were 
common  as  Christian  names  among  the  O'Lynns.  A  branch  of  the 
same  race  was  located  around  Ardbraccan,  which  accounts  for  their 
connection  with  Meath.  Cu-maighe  becomes  in  the  possessive  case 
Con-mhaighe  (pronounced  Con-way),  hence  Coill-con-mhaighe  (pro- 
nounced Kilconway) — 'the  wood  of  Cu-maighe.'  Some  of  those 
chiefs  gives  name  to  the  barony  of  Kilconway. 


DAL-RIADA.  9 

From  these  extracts  it  may  be  seen,  that  after  the  as- 
sumption of  surnames,  O'Donnellan  and  O'Flinn  were  the 
dominant  names  among  the  Hy-Tuirtre.  Their  territory  in 
the  County  of  Antrim  may  be  supposed  to  be  represented  by 
the  deanry  of  Turtria,  which  comprised  the  modern  baronies 
of  Lower  Antrim,  Lower  Toome,  Lower  Glenarm;  and  a  part 
of  Kilconway.  The  Clannaboy  Invasion  scattered  the 
O'Flinns  into  the  E.oute,  where  their  name  now  assumes 
the  form  of  Lynn,  and  even  into  the  barony  of  Ards,  where 
they  were  located  at  Inishargy,  and  are  called  in  State 
Papers  the  Turturs  of  Inishargy.  The  Scotch  immigration 
scattered  them  from  Inishargy,  through  the  barony  of 
Kinelarty,  and  around  Castlewellan,  where  they  are  still 
somewhat  numerous  under  the  names  of  O'Flinn  and  Lynn- 

To  return  to  Dal-Riada,  that  territory,  in  common  with 
the  remainder  of  the  country,  passed  after  the  English 
Invasion  into  the  possession  of  the  Earls  of  Ulster,  but  when 
King  John  came  to  Carriokfergus  to  punish  the  rebellion,  or 
supposed  rebellion  of  De  Lacy,  he  gave  Dal-Riada  and  its 
appendant  districts  to  Alan,  Earl  of  Galloway.  Dr,  Reeves 
(Eccles.  Antig.  p.  323),  gives  the  substance  of  an  ancient 
roll  preserved  among  the  State  Papers,  London,  which 
recites  the  territories  given.  All  Dalreth  (Dal-Riada), 
with  the  Island  of  Rathlin,  Kynilmerach*  Gioeskard,f  and 
the  land  Lafharne,  and  two  cantreds  beyond  the  Bann, 
namely,  that  of  Kunnock  and  that  of  Tirkehit,  except  twenty 
knights  yees  near  the  Castle  of  Kilsantan,  viz  : — ten  on  each 

*  Kynilmerach  is  perhaps  the  Tuogh  of  Mowbray,  or  Munerie,  co- 
extensive with  the  Parish  of  Ramoan  and  the  Grange  of  DrumtuUagh. 

t  Gwescard  is  an  attempt  at  the  Irish  word  Tuaisceart  (north), 
the  name  given  in  Anglo-Norman  records  to  the  northern  part  of  the 
present  County  of  Antrim,  Latharne—liVixne.  Kunnock — Keenaght. 
Tirkehit — Tirkeeran. 


10  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

side  of  the  Bann  "  which  we  retain  in  our  own  hands  for  the 
guard  of  the  Castle  oi  Kilsantan,"X  excepting  all  ecclesiastical 
lands  and  those  conferred  on  DunTcan  de  Karrach,%  or  others. 
Alan  of  Galloway  died  in  1234;  and  Patrick,  son  of  Thomas 
of  Galloway,  was  murdered  at  Haddington,  in  1242,  by  the 
Bissets.  For  this  murder  John  Bisset  and  Walter,  his 
uncle,  were  outlawed  and  fled  to  Ireland,  where  they 
obtained  the  Glynns  and  Rathlin  from  the  Earl  of  Ulster. 
From  this  John  the  Bissets  were  named  by  the  Irish 
MacEoin — "  son  of  John  " — which  has  assumed  the  modern 
i'orm  of  M'Keown.  Notwithstanding  the  extensive  terri- 
tories granted  away  by  the  Earls  of  Ulstei',  it  was  found  by 
an  Inquisition  taken  on  the  death  of  William  de  Burgo,  in 
1333,  concerning  his  possessions  in  the  "  Comitatus  de 
Oulrath,"  that  he  held  vast  possessions  extending  through 
the  present  parishes  of  Armoy,  Loughguile,  Finvoy,  Billy, 
Coleraine,  Ballymoney,  Killowen,  &c.  William  de  Burgo 
left  a  daughter,  who  married  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  a  son  of 
Edward  III.,  through  whose  descendants  the  Earldom  of 
Ulster  with  all  seigneurial  rights  passed  into  the  possession 
of  the  Royal  Family.     While,  however,  the  De  Burgos  were 

J  The  twenty  knights'  fees,  together  with  Kilsantan  and  the  Castle 
of  Culratlb  (Coleraine),  were  granted  in  1215,  by  King  John,  to  Thomas 
(le  Galloway,  a  younger  brother  of  Alan,  who  is  called  by  the  Four 
Masters,  Thomas  MacUchtry,  after  his  grandfather  Uchtred  or 
Oothred. 

%"  Duncan  de  C arrack.  In  1210,  John  granted  to  Duncan 
Kitzgilbert,  a  Welshman,  the  uncle  of  Alan  and  Thomas  de  Galloway, 
the  town  of  Wulfrichford  (Larne),  and  all  the  lands  which  Roger  de 
I'reston  and  Henry  Clemens  held  near  it,  namely — Inverth  (Inver), 
and  all  the  land  extending  from  it  to  Olynarm  ;  and,  in  1224  Henry 
I II.  confirmed  to  the  same  certain  lands  in  Ulster  called  Balgeithelaugh 
( Ballygalley),  of  which  Hugh  de  Lacy  had  disseised  him.  See  Reeves's 
Eccl.  Anthj.,  p.  325.  His  name  seems  preserved  in  the  name  of  the 
t-.wnland  IJallygilbert. 


DAL-RIADA.  1 1 

Earls  of  Ulster,  tlie  weakness  of  the  English  power  and  the 
inroads  of  the  Irish  from  the  west  of  the  Bann,  necessitated 
them  to  welcome  and  provide  lands  for  military  adventurers 
from  every  quarter.  The  Bissets,  or  M'Eoins,  came  from 
Scotland,  and  were  located  in  the  Glynns ;  the  O'Haras 
came  from  Connaught,  and  were  located  in  Loughguile  ;  and 
the  MacQuillans  came  from  Wales,  and  eventually  rose  to 
be  supreme  Chiefs  of  all  Dal-E-iada,  The  rights  of  the 
Earldom  being  vested  in  the  crown  afforded  to  those  tenants 
in  chief  opportunities  of  assuming  an  independence,  which 
they  never  could  have  acquired  under  a  local  superior, 

MacQuillin,  in  Irish  MacUidhelin,  is  supposed  by  Dr. 
O'Donovan  to  be  an  Irish  form  of  MacLhlewellin.  Duald 
MacEirbis,  in  his  tract  concerning  the  Welshmen  of  Tirawley, 
mentions  Meg  Uighilin  an  Ruta — "  MacQuillin  of  the 
Route,"  as  one  of  the  Welsh  families  who  came  in  the  time 
of  the  English  Invasion  to  that  part  of  Connaught,  and 
adds,  from  other  authorities  on  genealogy,  a  tradition  of  their 
being  descended  from  Cairbre  Riada,  the  common  ancestor 
of  the  Dal-Riada.  It  would  seem  then,  that  MacQuillin,  like 
O'Hara,  was  brought  from  Connaught  by  the  De  Burgo 
Earls  of  Ulster,  who  had  vast  possessions  in  Connaught  as 
well  as  in  Dal-Riada.  In  returning  to  the  north  of  Ireland 
MacQuillin  was  probably  anxious  to  establish  some  family 
claim  to  property  in  the  Route  ;  if  so  he  succeeded  well. 
The  family  held  the  Route  for  about  three  centuries,  until 
finally  expelled  by  the  McDonnells.  The  English  always 
believed,  or  pretended  to  believe  in  the  British  extraction 
or  the  MacQuillins.  A  letter  addressed  to  Henry  VIII. 
notices,  amongst  others, — "  one  Maguyllen,  who  having  long 
strayed  from  the  nature  of  his  allegiance  (his  ancestors  being 
your  subjects,  and  cam  out  of  Wales)  was  grown  to  be  as 


12  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

Irisshe  as  the  worste,  and  was  in  the  late  conflycte  with 
O'Neil,  in  his  aide  against  your  Majestic." — (State  Papers, 
Vol.  Ill,  p.  381).  Dymmok's  "Treatise  of  Ireland " 
written  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  observes — "  The  Route  is 
properly  the  inheritance  of  one  Mac  Willie,  descended  from 
a  Welsh  ancestor  in  the  time  of  the  first  conqueror." 
During  the  whole  period  of  their  occupation  scarcely  one  of 
the  Chiefs  of  the  Clan  died  a  natural  death,  but  was  either 
slain  in  the  field  or  secretly  assasinated. 

The  earliest  notices  in  the  Four  Masters  regarding  the 
MacQuillins,  refer  to  transactions  in  Connaught.  A.D., 
131Q,  one  of  the  O'Connors — "a  worthy  heir  to  the  crown 
of  Connaught  was  treacherously  slain  by  Seonag 
MacQuillin,  who  was  one  of  his  retainers,"  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  slew  another  man  in  Ballintober,  in 
Roscommon.  In  1355  Aduc  MacQuillin  was  slain  by  the 
l)eople  of  Orior,  in  Armagh.  A.D.,  1357  is  the  first  date 
at  which  the  Four  Masters  call  the  Route  '^  MacQuillin's 
Territory;"  and  at  1368  they  say — "  Slevny  MacQuillin, 
Constable  of  the  Province  of  Ulstei-,  died  ;"  showing  that  he 
was  considered  the  agent  representing,  in  Down  and  Antrim, 
the  Earl  of  Ulster.  A.D.,  1418,  Niall  O'Donnell  defeated 
The  O'Neill,  "  whom  he  banished  eastwards  across  the  Bann 
to  MacQuillin."  A.J).,  1425,  MacQuillin  and  other  Chief- 
tains were  carried  ofi*  prisoners  to  Dublin  by  Lord  f  urnival, 
the  Lord-justice.  A.D.,  1427,  O'Donnell  marched  into 
Clannaboy  to  assist  the  Clannaboy  O'Neills  against 
M'Quillin  who  was  allied  with  The  O'Neill,  and  had  in  bis 
pay,  as  galloglasses,  M'Sweenys  ot  Donegal;  on  this  occasion 
MacQuillin  sustained  great  losses.  A.D.,  1431,  MacQuillin's 
Territory  was  again  plundered,  this  time  by  a  party  from 
Tyrone  who  remained  "  half  a  quarter  of  a  year  destroying 


DAL-RIADA.  13 

corn  and  burning  dwellings. "  A.D.,  1433,  The  O'lSTeill  of 
Tyrone  marched  with  his  forces  into  Dufferin  to  attack 
MacQuillin  and  Robert  Savadge — the  representatives  of  the 
English  interest  who  were  assisted  by  O'Donnell.  The 
O'Neill  summoned  to  his  assistance  the  MacDonnells,  of 
Scotland,  who  arrived  with  a  great  fleet.  MacQuillin  and 
Savadge  sustained  a  great  defeat,  and  ''  those  that  made 
their  escape  from  the  territory  of  Dufferin  were  almost  all 
cut  ofi"  at  the  Pass  of  Newcastle."  This  is  the  first  occasion 
recorded  by  the  Four  Masters  in  which  MacQuillin  en- 
countered the  MacDonnells,  who  were  the  Scottish 
auxiliaries  in  the  pay  of  the  Irish. 

Among  the  early  opponents  of  MacQuillin  were  the 
O'Kanes,.  a  leading  family  of  the  Kinel  Owen.  At 
a  remote  period  they  supplanted  the  Gianachta,  a 
Munster  family,  the  chief  of  whom  was  O'Connor,  from 
whom  the  barony  of  Keenaght,  in  the  County  of  Derry,  is 
named ;  afterwards  they  extended  their  conquests  to  the 
Bann,  and  crossing  that  river  they  became  a  leading  clan  in 
Dal-E.iada,  known  as  the  Clann  Maghnus  na  Buaise — '*  the 
Clan  Manus  of  the  Bush,"  to  distinguish  them  from  another 
branch  of  the  O'Kanes,  named  the  Clann  Maghnus  na  Banna 
—"  the  Clan  of  Manus  (O'Kane),  of  the  Bann."  The  Clann 
Manus  of  the  Bush  held  Dunseverick  under  the  M'Donnells, 
until  the  war  of  1641.  Another  family  of  the  O'Kanes 
assumed  the  name  of  M'Henryj  and  was  possessed  of  Inish- 
lochan  on  the  Bann,  about  two  miles  above  Coleraine;  while 
another  M'Henry  (O'Kane)  possessed  Ballyreagb.  When 
all  Dal-Riada  was  granted  to  Randal  M'Donnell,  these 
ancient  proprietors  obtained  grants  by  deeds  under  him, 
which  they  held  until  the  war  of  1641. 

In   1442   occurred  the  first  war  recorded   by  the  Four 


14  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Masters,  between  MacQuillin  and  O'Kane.  A.D.,  1444, 
The  O'Neill  accompanied  by  many  of  the  chiefs  of  Ulster, 
and  having  in  his  pay  MacDonnell  galloglasses,  marched 
into  Dufferin  to  attack  MacQuillin  ;  but  the  latter  was  this 
time  assisted  by  the  O'JSTeills,  of  Clannaboy,  and  the  Tyrone 
men  were  defeated.  A.D.,  1470,  The  O'lSTeill  marched  into 
Dufferin  to  assist  MacQuillin  against  the  Clannaboy  O'Neills, 
and  took  from  them  the  Castle  of  Sketerick,  which  he  de- 
livered to  MacQuillin.  A.D.,  1472,  Rory  Aijisheagar  (the 
unquiet)  O'Kane  was  treacherously  slain  by  MacQuillin, 
whereupon  the  O'Neills,  of  Clannaboy,  and  the  O'Kanes, 
made  an  incursion  into  the  Route  and  slew  M'Qaillin. 
Rory  MacQuillin  who  was  elected  to  the  chieftaincy,  made 
peace  with  the  chief  of  Clannaboy.  "  MacQuillin  went  into 
a  small  cot  at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Bann,  intending  to 
present  himself  before  O'Kane ;  but  as  he  was  landing  he 
was  attacked  by  a  party  of  O'Kane's  people,  who  slew  him 
and  drowned  him  in  the  Bann."  A.D.,  1492,  "the  son  of 
Rory  MacQuillin,  ana  a  great  number  of  foot  soldiers  along 
with  him  were  slain  by  O'Kane.  A.D.,  1506,  ^'  MacQuillin 
— i.e. — Walter,  the  son  of  Cormac,  son  of  Jenkin.  was  slaiu 
by  O'Kane — i.e. — Thomas,  the  son  oi  Aibhue.  There  were 
slain  along  with  him  Tuathal  O'Donnell,  two  sons  of  O'Hara, 
three  sons  of  O'Boylan,  two  sons  of  O'Quin,  and  seventeen 
of  the  chiefmen  of  his  tribe  in  the  Route."  A.D.,  1508, 
"  John  MacDonnell  Gorm  was  slain  by  MacQuillin."  A.D., 
1513,  The  O'Neill  burned  Moylinny  and  plundered  the 
Glinns.  On  this  occasion  The  MacQuillin  (Richard,  son  of 
Rory),  and  a  party  of  Scots  were  slain  by  O'Neill's  army. 
The  Castle  of  Dunluce  was  taken  by  O'Donnell  from  the 
sons  of  Garrett  MacQuillin,  and  given  to  the  sons  of  Walter 
MacQuillin.     A.D.,  1524,  a  war  raged  among  the  O'Kanes 


DAL-RIADA.  15 

themselves.  A.D.,  1541,  MacQuillin  defeated  the  Clanna- 
boy  O'Neills,  though  they  wei-e  assisted  by  gallowglasses 
both  of  the  MacSweeneys  and  MacDonnells.  A.D.,  1542, 
was  an  eventful  year  in  Dal-Riada.  MacQuillin,  and  the 
MacDonnells  whom  he  had  in  his  pay,  entered  O'Kane's 
country  with  fire  and  sword,  but  O'Kane,  who  had  the 
MacSweeney  gallowglasses  in  his  pay,  went  in  pursuit  of 
them,  and  having  attacked  them  laden  with  the  plunder  slew 
many  of  them  ;  among  whom  were  a  chief  of  the 
MacDonnells  and  another  principal  man  called — "  the  son  of 
M'Shane."  Many  of  MacQuillin's  people  were  drowned 
in  crossing  the  Bann,  MacQuillin  shortly  afterwards,  along 
with  forces  under  Sir  William  Brabinson,  re-entered 
O'Kane's  territory  and  destroyed  the  Castle  of  Limavady, 
slaying  all  its  garrison.  MacQuillin  that  year  was  guilty  of 
a  most  disgraceful  act  of  treachery.  He  took  into  his  em- 
ployment several  of  the  chiefs  of  the  M'Sweeneys  with  their 
gallowglasses,  and  received  them  in  the  most  friendly  manner; 
but  "a  malicious  plot  was  concocted  and  agreed  on  by  the 
son  of  MacDonnell,  by  the  Scots,  and  also  by  MacQuillin's 
people,  to  attack  this  noble  and  brave  clan  of  the  M'Sweeneys 
after  having  come  thither,  and  after  having  agreed  in  their 
compact  with  MacQuillin."  They  attacked  them  unawares, 
and  only  few  of  them  escaped  that  massacre.  The  memory 
of  this  treacherous  act  is  yet  preserved  in  Antrim  ;  but  the 
popular  tradition  represents  the  MacDonnells  as  the  victims 
of  the  treachery.  A.D.,  1544,  O'Donnell  marched  into  the 
Route  and  took  from  MacQuillin  the  crannoge  of  Inis- 
loughan,  which  he  delivered  over  to  O'Kane  ;  he  also  took 
the  Castle  of  Bally  lough,  and  the  crannoges  of  Lough 
Burran  and  Loughlynch.  MacQuillin  now  brought  over 
James  and  Colla   MacDonnell,  who  attacked  Inisloughan, 


16  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

and  burned  Brian  O'Kane  and  all  that  were  with  him  in  it. 
The  O'Kane  called  to  his  aid  a  band  of  the  MacSween'ey 
gallowglasses,  and  when  MacQuillin  again  cros'  .d  the  Bann 
he  fell  into  their  hands  and  was  slain.  A.D.,  1583,  the 
English  and  Hugh  MacFelini  O'Neill  came  to  rescue,  if 
possible,  MacQuillin  from  the  utter  ruin  with  which  he  was 
threatened  by  Sorley  Boy.  It  was  then  the  celebrated 
battle  of  Aura,  or  Orra,  was  fought,  which  sealed  the  fate  of 
MacQuillin,  and  the  cairn  heaped  up  over  the  grave  of 
O'Neill  on  the  summit  of  Aura,  is  to  this  day  called  "Hugh 
MacFelim's  Grave."  After  this  MacQuillin  sank  into  such 
insignificance  that  the  name  does  not  afterwards  appear  in 
The  Four  Masters. 

The  M'Donnells  are  descended  from  Colla  Uais,  the 
common  ancestor  of  Hy-Tuirtre,  Fir  Li,  and  other  tribes. 
Many  of  his  race  passed  into  Albany,  or  Scotland ;  the 
fifteenth  in  descent  from  him  was  Samharli — "  the  mighty 
Somerled,"  who  re-established  Celtic  supremacy  in  Argyle- 
shire  and  the  Isles.  From  his  great-grandson  Domnal  og, 
the  M'Donnells  take  their  name.  The  great-grandson  of 
Domnal  was  Eoin  na-h-Ile,  or  John  M'Donnell,  of  Isla,  who 
married  the  daughtei-  of  Robert  II.  of  Scotland  ;  one  of  the 
sons  by  this  marriage  was  John  Mor  M'Donnell,  who 
married  Margery  Byset,  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  John 
M'Eoin  Byset,  the  fifth  in  descent  from  the  Byset  who 
murdered,  or  was  accused  of  murdering  Patrick,  of  Galloway, 
Earl  of  Athol.  John  Mor  M'Donnell  was,  after  that 
marriage,  styled  lord  of  Dunyveg  and  Glennes;  he  received 
the  former  designation  from  his  property  in  Isla,  the  latter 
from  that  in  Antrim  acquired  through  his  wife. 

For  ages  members  of  the  M'Donnell  family  had  taken 
part  in  Irish  affairs,  or   commanded   au.xiliary  troops  in  pay 


DAL  RI ADA.  17 

of  the  various  Ulster  chiefs ;  John  Mor's  marriage  with  the 
heiress  of  the  Glens,  the  troubles  in  the  west  and  north  of 
Scotland  consequent  on  the  destruction  ot  the  kingdom  of 
the  Isles,  and  the  endeavours  of  the  Scottish  Kings  to 
consolidate  the  regal  power,  compelled  Donnell  Ballach, 
Eoin  Cathanach  (called  so  from  being  fostered  among  the 
O'Kanes),  and  Alaster,  the  son,  grandson,  and  great-grandson 
of  John  Mor,  to  reside  more  or  less  in  the  Glynns.  Of 
Alaster,  Sir  William  Brabazon  writes  to  Ci'omwell  in  May, 
1539 — "  I  doe  certefie  your  Lordship,  that  ther  is  of  Scottes 
nowe  dwellinge  in  Ireland,  above  two  thousand  men  of 
warre,  as  I  am  credablie  euformed,  which  Scottes  have  as 
will  dryven  away  the  freholders  being  Englische  men  of  that 
contrey,  as  others  of  the  Irischmen  and  have  bylded  certeyn 
castells  there."  State  Papers,  Vol.  III.  Alaster  or 
Alexander  left  six  sons:  1.  James  j  2.  Angus;  3.  Colla ; 
4.  Alexander;  5.  Donnell  Gorme  ;  and,  6.  Sorley. — 1.  James 
woun<led  and  taken  prisoner  by  Shane  O'Neill  in  a  battle 
fought  in  1565,  at  Glen-Taisi,  near  Ballycastle,  died  in 
O'Neill's  dungeon.*      2.   Angus  was  slain  in  the  same  battle. 

*  James,  by  his  wife  Agnes  Campbell,  sister  of  the  Duke  of  Argyle, 
left  issue.  1.  Angus  who  succeeded  his  father  in  Scotland  as  Lord  of 
Duneveg,  and  forfeited  by  insurrection  the  lands  of  Kintire.  Queen 
Elizabeth's  government  in  May,  1586,  granted  to  him  all  Bisset's  lands 
in  the  Glinns,  except  the  Castle  of  Olderfieet.  The  King  of  Scotland 
in  1589,  wrote  to  him  to  assist  a  Spaniard  in  recovering  ordnance  lost 
in  a  ship  of  the  Armada.  He  was  father  of  Sir  James,  of  Knockinsay, 
who,  as  alleged,  transferred  his  rights  to  the  tuoghs  of  Parke  and 
Larne  to  Awla  M'Awla  (M'Awley),  of  Ardineaple,  Dumbartonshire, 
but  at  that  period  they  were  incorporated  in  the  Lord  Antrim  property. 
2.  Donnell  Gorm,  who  in  1584  obtained  from  the  government  all 
Bisset's  lands  under  certain  conditions,  one  of  which  was  to  serve 
"against  Severlie  Bwoy  "  (Sorley  Boy,  his  own  uncle.)  The  bribe 
iiot  having  succeeded  was  transferred  with  as  little  success  to  his  elder 
brother.  Donnell  Gorm's  son,  Angus,  got  lands  from  the  first  Earl, 
A.D.  1625,  in  Killoquin,  where  his  son  Donnell  Gorm  resided  at  the 
commencement  of  the  1641  war.     See  HUVs  M'Doiintlls. 


18  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

3.  Colla,  surnamed  Maol-dubh,  married  a  daughter  of 
MacQuillin,  though  he  contributed  most  to  the  destruction 
of  the  power  of  that  family.  The  Four  Masters  record  a 
great  defeat,  he  and  his  brother  James,  a.d.  1551,  gave  the 
English  in  Rathlin — "  and  not  one  of  them  escaped  to  tell 
the  tale  except  the  lieutenant  who  commanded  them,  whom 
the  Scots  kept  as  a  prisoner  until  they  got  in  his  stead  their 
own  brother  Sorley,  who  had  been  imprisoned  by  the 
English  of  Dublin,  a  year  before  that  time."  Colla's  chief 
residence  was  Kinbaan  Castle  ;  he  died  in  May,  1558.  His 
son  Gillaspick  was  fostered  among  the  O'Kanes,  and  married 
an  O'Kane  ;  he  was  killed  on  the  day  he  came  of  age  at  a 
bull-fight  in  Ballycastle,  given  by  his  uncle  Sorley  in  honour 
of  the  event.  By  his  wife  he  left  one  son  Coll-kitach,  who 
was  born  in  the  island  of  Loughlynch  ;  he  was  the  father  of 
Alaster,  so  celebrated  during  the  civil  wars  of  1641.  Coll  is 
represented  by  the  family  of  the  late  Dr.  M'Donnell,  of 
Belfast,  and  by  Colonel  M'Donnell,  of  Kilmoi-e. 

4.  Alexander  Oge  was  sent  by  his  brothers  to  collect  forces 
in  Scotland,  but  did  not  return  in  time  to  assist  at  the  Battle 
of  Glen  Taisi  ;  when  he  arrived  at  Rathlin  \?ith  900  men  he 
heard  of  the  defeat  and  returned  to  Scotland.  Two  year.s 
after  that  battle  Shane  O'Neill,  forgetful  of  the  slaughter 
which  he  had  inflicted  in  it  on  the  M'Donnells,  came  after 
releasing  Sorley  to  the  camp  of  Alexander  Oge,  above 
Cushendun  Bay.  to  seek  his  aid,  but  the  Scots  hewed  him  to 
pieces  and  put  to  death  all  his  attendants  except  a  few  who 
escaped  by  the  fleetness  of  their  horses. 

5.  Donnell  Gorme  seems  to  have  died  between  1545  and 
1554. 

fi.  Of  all  the  sons  of  Alexander  of  Tsla,the  most  distinguished 
was  Sorley  Boy,  born  [about  the  year   1505.     During  the 


DAL-RIADA.  1 9 

lifetiiTies  or   his  elder  brothers  he  obeyed  their  commands  • 
in  1552,  he,  in  obedience  to  the  order  of  his  brother  James, 
attacked  the  English  of  Carrickfergus,  and  captured  Walter 
Floddy,  constable  of   the   castle,   whom    he  released  after 
obtaining  a  heavy  ransom,  and  giving  him  his  opinion  "  that 
Inglische  men  had  no   right   to   Yrland."     In  the  letter  of 
Sussex   to    the   secretary   Boxall,    dated   June    3rd,    1558, 
announcing  the  death  of  Colla  M'Donnell,  which  had  occurred 
twenty  days  before  that,  the   Lord-Deputy  tells  him   that 
James  M'Donnell   "  oflFered   the  Rowte   to  Alysander,  who 
refused  it,  then  he  offered  it  to  Eneas   (Angus),  who  also 
refused  it,  and  lastlye  he  offered  it  to   Sorleboye."     State 
Papers  Public  Record  Office,  London,  Vol.  II.     For  several 
years  Sorley  was  left  by  the  English  Government  to  pursue  his 
own    course    in    subjugating    the    M'Quillins,   who    out    of 
personal    regard    for    Colla,    whose     wife    was    M'Quillin, 
acknowledged  their  defeats  and  submitted  to  him,  but  from 
Sorley  they  hoped  for  no  mercy,  and  in  many  a  hard  fought 
field  strove  to  avert  the  final  ruin  which   he  inflicted  on 
them.     In  the  meantime  both  the  English  and  Shane  O'Neill 
invited  the  McDonnells  to  join  their  respective  sides  in  the 
war,  but  they  determined  to  keep  themselves  neutral.     The 
war  terminated  in  1563  by  Shane's  submission,  followed  by 
his  memorable  visit  to   Elizabeth,     Shane   now  assured  the 
state,  that  there   were  no   more  dangerous  enemies  to  the 
Queen's  authority  than  the  Scots,  and  that  he  was  determined 
to  do  a  signal  service  against  them.     His  design  was  declared 
"  most  commendable."     Shane  commenced  operations  imme- 
diately, and  on  the  5th  of  September,  1564,  he  writes  from 
Coleraine,  that  he  was  re-building  the  old  castle  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Bann,  and    that   he  had  sent  men  over  the  river 
to  ward  the  Friary,  which  the  Scots  attacked  like  madmen. 


20  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

In  the  following  April  be  carried  fire  and  sword  through  the 
Route  and  Glynns,  burning  castle  and  homestead,  and 
terminating  his  forray  by  the  Battle  of  Glen  Taisi,  where  he 
inflicted  the  most  terrible  catastrophe  which  had  ever 
befallen  the  Antrim  Scots.  In  addition  to  their  other  losses, 
James  M'Donnell  and  his  brother  Sorley  were  carried  off  by 
O'Neill,  who  on  the  following  day  took  Dunseverick,  and 
hastened  on  to  Dunluce,  which  he  forced  to  surrender  three 
days  after  "  through  feare  of  Samhirley  (Sorley)  Boye  his 
dethe,  who  was  kept  without  meat  or  drinke,  to  this  end  the 
castell  might  be  sooner  yielded."  See  Letter  of  O'Neill's 
Becretary.  When,  however,  Shane  soon  after  threw  off 
the  mask  and  again  rushed  into  rebellion,  the  Scots  were 
anxiously  pressed  by  the  Lord-Deputy  to  join  his  forces 
against  their  deadly  foe.  James  M'Donnell  had  died  in  his 
dungeon,  and  Sorley  was  yet  his  prisoner,  when  Shane  after 
two  years  struggle  was  induced,  perhaps  through  the  wily 
Sorley,  to  throw  himself  on  the  mercy  of  the  Scots.  Sorley 
was  set  at  liberty  and  Shane  presented  himself  at  the  Scottish 
Camp  in  Cushindun,  where  he  was  stabbed  to  death  on  the 
2nd  of  June,  1567. 

The  Queen  wrote  to  Sydney  to  reward  the  Scots  and  send 
them  home,  but  Sorley  intended  to  stay  ;  and  to  provide 
himself  with  the  means,  he  crossed  over  to  Scotland,  and 
having  collected  eight  hundred  picked  red-shanks  he  arrived 
with  them  on  the  27th  of  November,  1567,  in  Ballycastle 
Bav,  where  he  swore  that  he  would  never  "  depart  Ireland 
with  his  good- will."  Before  commencing  hostilities  he  re- 
quested from  the  Crown  a  grant  of  the  Glynns  and  the  lands 
of  Munry  and  Carey — in  other  words  from  Larne  to 
Bushmills.  That  request  was  not  granted,  and  in  1568  he 
was  leagued  with  Brian  MacFelim   O'Neill  and  Turlough 


DAL-RIADA.  21 

Luinech  O'Neill,  who  succeeded  Shane  as  the  O'Neill.     An 
alliance  with  Donnell  Gorme  M'Donnell,  of  Sleat,  enabled 
Sorley  to  collect  a  force  of  4,000  men,  which  he  landed  in 
December,  1568.     To  cement  still  more  the   Celtic  union, 
Sorley's  sister-in-law,  the  widow  of  James  M'Donnell,  the 
sister  of  Argyle,  was  married  to   the  O'Neill,  in  August 
of   1569,    in   the   island  of    Rathlin,   where   Sorley  enter- 
tained  them   royally,    for   Terence    Danyell  wrote    to   the 
lords-justices  that  "  Sorley  Boy  had  passed  two  nights  in  the 
Glynns  cutting  wattles  to  build  in  the  Raghlins."     In  1570 
an  immense  tract  of  land  belonging  to  Sir  Brian  M'Felim 
O'Neill,   was   granted    to    Sir   Thomas    Smith;    Sii-   Brian 
M'Felim  was  so  ungrateful  for  this  mode  of  humanizing  "  a 
wicked,  barbarous,  and  uncivil  people,"  that  he  swept  the 
districts  occupied  by  the  English  with  fire  and  sword,  and 
burned  Carrickfergus.     Walter  Devereux,  Earl  of  Essex, 
received  a  grant  of  immense  tracts  of  land,  and  curiously 
enough,  of  some  of  the  lands  already  granted  to  Smith;  so  little 
did  the  government  know  of  Irish  topography  !  Essex  arrived 
in  the  Summer  of  1573,  and  notified  by  proclamation  that 
he  came  to  take  possession  of  the  forfeited  lands  of  Clannaboy, 
the  Glynns,  the  Route,  &c.,  but  that  he  merely  intended  to 
expel  the  Scots,  and  not  to  act  with  hostility  to  the  Irish. 
Shortly  afterwards  moved  no   doubt   by  the  perverse  in- 
gratitude of  the  Irish,  he  writes  to  the  Council  in  England— 
"  I  wish  it  might  come  in  question  whether  it  were  necessary 
to  use  his  (Sorley's)  service  against  the  Irish,  who  wilfully 
have  refused  the  grace  and  mercy  of  her  Majesty."     At  his 
suggestion  soon  afterwards  the   Queen  sent  to  Sorley  letters 
patent  of  denization  enabling  him  to  hold  lands  under  Smith, 
he  also  received  a  grant  of  such  of  the  Glynns  as  belonged 
to    the     Bvsets.        The     tradition,    however,     among    the 


22  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

M'Donnells  is,  that  Sorley  placed  the  Queen's  patent  on  the 
point  of  his  sword  and  thrust  it  into  the  fire,  saying,  that  he 
intended  to  hold  his  lands  by  the  sword.  In  1574  Essex 
seized  Brian  M'Felim  and  his  wife  during  a  banquet  in 
Belfa.«t,  at  which  they  were  entertaining  him,  and,  say  the 
Four  Masters,  "  Brian  was  afterwards  sent  to  Dublin, 
together  with  his  wife  and  brother,  where  they  were  cut  in 
quarters."  Essex,  in  the  following  year,  placed  a  garrison 
of  40  men  in  "  a  castle  of  very  great  strength,"  in  Rathlin, 
and  recommended  that  100  men  should  be  placed  in  it. 
Essex  had  now  ruined  his  fortune  by  his  scheme  of  colon- 
ization, and  in  1575,  he  went  to  London  to  induce  the  Queen 
to  lend  additional  support.  On  her  refusal  he  threw  up  the 
project  and  died  the  following  year  in  Dublin,  through 
effects,  it  is  thought,  of  poison,  administered  to  him  at  the 
desire  of  Leicester,  who  soon  afterwards  divorced  his  own 
wife  and  married  the  widow  of  Essex.  Sir  Henry  Sidney 
resumed  the  reigns  of  government  in  1575,  and  at  once 
withdrew  the  garrison  from  Bathlin,  for  it  was  "  very 
chardgious  and  hard  to  be  held."  For  years  afterwards 
Sorley  was  tacitly  permitted  to  rule  the  Boute  and  Glynns, 
nevertheless  a  strict  watch  was  kept  on  his  movements.  In 
1580  Sir  Nicholas  Malbie,  writing  to  the  Earl  of  Leicester, 
says,  "  Here  is  a  great  bruit  of  3,000  Scots  landed  in 
Clandeboye,  Tyrlagh  Lenagh's  marriage  with  the  Scot  is 
the  cause  of  all  this,  and  if  her  Majesty  do  not  provide 
against  her  devices,  the  Scottish  woman  will  make  a  new 
Scotland  of  Ulster,"  The  great  Desmond  War  had  given 
the  English  sufficient  employment  in  Munster,  and  the 
expectation  of  forfeitures  was  amply  sufficient  to  supply  their 
greed  for  land  ;  it  was  only  after  the  termination  of  that  war 
that   they  turned   their   attention  to   Sorley  and  his  Scots. 


DAL-EIADA.  23 

The  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters,  however,  record  that  in 
the  year  1583  great  depredations  were  committed  on  Sorley 
Ly  Hugh,  the  brother  of  Brian  M'Felim  O'Neill,  M'Quillin, 
and  the  English.  Sorley  pursued  them,  took  the  preys  from 
them,  and  slew  O'Neill.  This  was  the  celebrated  battle 
of  Ora,  or  Aura,  so  magnified  in  the  traditions  of 
the  County  of  Antrim  ;  it  must  have  occurred  a  few 
months  befoi'e  the  death  of  Desmond.  To  this  day  the  grave 
of  Hugh  M'Felim  O'Neill  is  to  be  seen  on  the  top  of  Ora 
Mountain,  at  the  junction  of  the  parishes  of  Layd  and 
Loughguile.  In  1584  the  new  Deputy,  Sir  John  Perrot, 
was  suddenly  recalled  from  a  circuit  which  he  was  making 
in  Munster,  by  the  news,  that  Sorley  had  obtained  a  great 
accession  of  strength  from  Scotland.  On  the  14th  of 
September  Perrot  was  at  Castlroe  with  Turlough  Ijinneach 
and  his  wife  ;  the  old  chief  was  now  a  friend  of  the  English, 
but  the  O'Donnellys  and  O'Kanes  had  left  him,  and  were 
friends  of  the  Scots.  Dunluce,  garrisoned  by  40  men, 
surrendered  to  Fenton,  and  Perrot  took  Dunferte  (Ballyreagh 
Castle),  and  '*  another  pyle  by  Portrushe  ;  the  E,aghlin  is  now 
all  the  refuge  left  him."  Perrot  says  that  he  could  not  attack 
Rathlin  "  because  the  waters  might  have  arisen  and  stopped 
my  return."  In  the  meantime  Sorley  had  retreated  to  the 
fastness  of  *'  G-lenconkene,"  in  the  County  of  Derry,  to 
which  the  Deputy  did  not  care  to  pursue  him,  The  Deputy 
shortly  afterwards  withdrew  to  Dublin,  leaving  officers  to 
pursue  the  war,  whose  letters  are  very  descriptive,  both  of 
the  war  and  the  nature  of  the  country.  Sorley  soon  re- 
covered from  his  losses,  and  on  the  5th  of  January,  1584 
(1585),  brought  into  Red  Bay  a  great  force  of  Scots  in 
twenty-four  galleys.  Sir  Henry  Bagenall  writes  from 
Carrickfergus  that  this  force  amounted   to  2,000  men,  and 


24  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

adds,  "  I  heare  that  many  horsemen  of  the  Rowte  and 
O'Cahan's  country  are  come  to  Sorley."  On  the  5th  Feb., 
Sorley  writes  to  Perrot  from  his  "  Camp  in  the  Rowte," 
that  he  was  willing  to  take  the  lower  third  of  the  Glynnes, 
leaving  the  other  two-thirds  of  the  Glynns  to  Donnell  Gorra, 
the  son  of  his  brother  James,  provided  he  got  the  whole  of 
Rowte  or  M'Quillin's  country.  The  war,  however,  went  on, 
for  the  government  was  induced  to  believe  by  its  officers, 
that  their  affairs  were  most  hopeful.  At  last  the  fall  ot 
Dunluce  opened  their  eyes  and  they  wei-e  more  willing  to 
accept  Sorley's  terms.  It  was  therefore  arranged  that  he 
should  go  to  Dublin  and  make  submission.  His  submission 
was  made  on  the  11th  February,  1586,  and  on  the  28th  of 
June,  the  indentures  were  perfected,  by  which  Sorley  got  a 
grant  of  the  tuogh  from  the  Boys  (Bush)  to  the  Bann,  the 
tuogh  of  Dunseverig,  the  tuogh  of  Loghghill  (Loughguile), 
and  Ballamonyn  (Ballymoney),  together  with  the  government 
of  Dunluce  Castle.  These  four  tuoghs  constituted  the 
Route.  The  Glynns  were  granted  to  his  nephews,  the  sons 
of  James,  but  by  some  private  arrangement  they  also  passed 
into  the  possession  of  Sorley.  The  old  chieftain  had  now 
all  he  had  ever  fought  for,  and  was  the  Lord  of  Dalriada 
from  Coleraine  to  Larne.  His  wife,  Mary  O'Neill,  daughter 
of  Con,  first  Earl  of  Tyrone,  bore  him  six  sons — Donnell, 
Alexander,  James,  Randall,  Angus,  and  Ludar.  The  Four 
Masters  record  the  death  of  his  wife  in  1582,  and  that  of 
himself  in  1590. 

Sir  James  M'Donnell  succeeded  Sorley,  he  was  knighted 
in  1597  by  the  King  of  Scotland,  who  bestowed  on  him  an 
estate  in  Cantii'e.  "  He  was  ane  bra  man  of  person  and 
behaviour,  but  had  not  the  Scots  tongue,  nor  nae  language 
but  Erse," — Chronicle  of  Scottis  Kingis.     In  1597  Sir  John 


DAL-RIADA.  25 

Chicliester,  Governor  of  Cari-ickfergas,  writing  to  Burghley, 
complains  of  Sir  James  and  Ms  brother  Eandal,  that  he  could 
not  get  rent  or  service  from  them,  and  adds,  "they  have  like- 
wise broken  down  two  of  their  castells,  the  one  called 
Glinarme,  and  the  other  Red  Bawn  (Red  Bay),  forteffeing 
themselves  only  in  Dunluse,  where  they  planted  three  pieces 
of  Ordnance,  demi-cannon,  and  culvering,  which  were  had  out 
of  one  of  the  Spanish  ships  coming  upon  that 
coast  after  our  fight  with  them  at  sea  in  '88.  I 
have  demanded  the  said  pieces  of  them,  to  have 
placed  them  in  Iverogfargus  for  the  better  strengthen- 
inge  of  the  towne,  bat  they  have  utterly  denied  the  delivery 
of  them."  Chichester  sent  rent  and  tax  collectors  into  the 
Route  but  Sir  James  M'Donnell  pursued  the  tax  gatherers 
as  far  as  Aldfreck,  in  the  Parish  of  Templecorran,  where  he 
was  met  by  Sir  John  at  the  head  of  the  garrison  of  Carrick- 
fergus;  and  there  was  fought,  on  the  4th  of  November,  1597, 
the  Battle  of  Altfracken,  in  which  Sir  John  was  killed. 
(For  an  account  of  the  battle  see  Down  ^  Connor  Vol  III., 
p.p.  121,  158.)  Sir  James  M'Donnell  hated  the  Chichesters, 
and  when  Sir  Arthur,  a  younger  brother  of  Sir  John,  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  vacant  governorship,  he  wrote  to  Sir  Francis 
Stafibrd,  "  If  her  Mat^^  desire  me  to  be  her  subject  I  will 
not  have  Sir  Arthur  Chichester  to  be  the  Governor  of 
Carrickfergus."  The  Four  Masters,  under  the  year  1601, 
record  that  Sir  James  M'Donnell  "the  most  distinguished 
of  the  Clann  Donnell,  either  in  peace  or  war,  died  on  Easter 
Monday."  He  died  in  the  Castle  of  Dunluce,  from  poison, 
administered  by  a  Scotch  spy  named  Douglas,  bribed  by 
Cecil,  with  the  privity  of  Chichester,*  to  effect  the 
assassination. 

*  Chichester  writes  to  Cecil,    "  Even  now  a  messenger  is  come  unto 
me  with  assnred  report  of  Sir  James  M'Sorlye,  his  death  and  burial. 


26  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

Donnell  M'Donnell,  son  of  Sorlej,  seems  to  have  died 
young,  and  had  no  children  ;  he  was  slain  while  skirmishing 
near  the  Bann. 

Alexander,  son  of  Sorley,  gallantly  opposed  the  forces  of 
Perrot  as  they  advanced  to  attack  Dunluce.  Coxe  tells  the 
manner  in  which  he  was  defeated  in  a  single  combat,  against 
Captain  Merriman,  in  1585.  "Alexander  M'Sorlin,  who  com- 
manded the  Scots,  challenged  Merriman  to  acombate  ;  and,  a 
lusty  gallowglasse  being  by,  said  he  was  the  captaine,  and  so 
to  the  duell  they  go.  The  gallowglasse  stunned  the  Scot  at  the 
first  blow,  and  thereupon  Merriman  stept  out  and  fought 

Tliis  is  the  tenth  of  April."  Sir  James  died  on  Easter  Monday,  which 
on  that  year  fell  on  the  13th  of  April.  That  Chichester  heard  of  it  on 
the  10th,  is  a  proof  that  he  expected  the  news  of  it.  In  a  private 
letter,  dated  12th  of  April,  1601,  Chichester  wrote  to  Cecil  telling  him 
what  Douglas  had  said,  "part  of  which  were  that  he  had  caused  a 
lough  (a  crannog),  to  be  sett  on  fire,  and  Tyrone's  horse  to  slain  under 
him,  and  other  thynges  wch  I  wylled  him  to  keep  secret  leste  he  were 
an  hinderance  to  others  endevors "  (to  assassinate  Hugh  O'Neill.) 
The  "  draught "  of  Douglas's  account  is  still  in  existence.  It  tells 
that  fortified  with  letters  of  introduction  he  visited  Sir  James,  "I 
fund  him  sumquhat  siklie  of  ane  byl,  and  .  .  the  surgin  with  him, 
who  is  callit  William  Lin,  indweller  of  Irvine,  .  .  then  said  1 
'  you  halving  this  man  in  your  handis,  may  bothe  inrich  your  self  and 
doe  me  credit.  If  you  will  find  some  meins  to  despatch  him  I  will 
geyf  you  my  bond  with  seissing  for  fyve  pound  sterling  money,  efter 
his  death,  to  be  payit  and  sunquhat  in  your  hand.'  He  being  silent 
f(jr  a  quhye — '  but  how,'  said  he,  *  shall  I  aschap  ?  '  Said  1—'  If  ye 
ondertake  it,  I  will  geyf  you  fyf  pound  in  hand,  sense  I  have  bot  a 
smal  stor  of  mony  heir,  and  ane  letter  to  the  Governour  of  Knocl-farnus 
(Chichester.')  'No,'  said  he,  'I  wil  haif  eyght  pound  and  your  bil,  and 
if  he  dy  not  before  Eyster,  1  shal  crave  no  more,  and  you  shal  half 
your  mony  bak  again  at  meeting."  The  spy  then  details  his  visits  to 
O'Kaue  and  Tyrone,  and  tells  how  he  burned  a  house  built  of  wood 
and  thatched  with  rushes  belonging  to  Tyrone,  which  corroborates  the 
story  told  by  Chichester,  and  proves  the  guilt  home  to  Chichester. 
See  Ulster  Journal,  Vol.  V.  p.  206. 


DAL-RIADA.  27 

Alexander  a  good  while  •  with  sword  and  target,  and  so 
wounded  him  in  the  leg  that  he  was  forced  to  retreat. 
Thereupon  his  army  being  discouraged  was  totally  routed, 
and  j^  lexander  being  hid  under  turf  in  a  cabin,  was  dis- 
covered and  his  head  cut  off,  and  set  on  a  pole  in  Dublin." 
A  M'Donnell  manuscript  referred  to  by  Mr.  Hill,  tells,  that 
when  old  Sorley  soon  afterwards  went  to  Dublin  to  make 
his  nominal  submission,  some  heartless  official  cruelly  invited 
him  to  look  at  his  son's  head — the  old  chief  said  "  My  son 
hath  many  heads."  An  incident  well  calculated  to  inspire 
in  sturdy  Highlanders  a  respect  for  the  English  Government  !* 
On  the  death  of  Sir  James  M'Donnell,  his  brother,  Randal, 
was  recognised  by  the  clan  as  its  chief,  in  accordance  with 
the  law  of  tanistry,  which  set  aside  the  claims  of  Sir  James's 
children,  because  they  were  by  their  non-age  unfitted  to 
protect  the  interests  of  the  clan.t     Randal,  called  Randal 

*  Few  places  were  more  hateful  to  the  Irish  than  Dubhn  Castle 
with  its  ghastly  sights ;  M'Keough,  the  Bard  of  Feagh  MacHugh 
O'Byrne,  on  seeing  the  head  of  that  chieftain  cries  out— 

"  I  wish  my  eyes  were  blind  before  I  saw  that  gastly  face, 
I  wish  the  limbs  had  withered  up  that  bore  me  to  the  place; 
I  wish  that  I  had  never  risen  when  fever  struck  me  down, 
Ere  I  beheld  that  gory  head  in  hateful  Dublin  town  !" 
From  the  literal  translation  by  W.  M.  Hennessy,  Esq.,  M.R.I. A. 

*  Sir  James  had  several  children  by  his  wife  Mary,  daughter  of 
Hugh  M'Felim  O'Neill,  of  Clanuaboy,  but  whether  he  was  married  to 
her  was  a  matter  of  dispute  after  his  death.  In  Vol.  II.  p.  323,  may 
be  seen  a  certiiicate  signed  by  Gorry  M 'Henry  and  Cahill  O'Hara,  that 
they,  together  with  Donnell  Oge  M'Fee  and  Bryan  O'Laverty,  were 
present  at  the  marriage,  which  was  performed  by  the  Bishop  of  Derry 
(Redmond  O'Gallagher. )  The  most  distinguished  of  his  children  was 
Alexander.  In  1614  and  the  following  year,  the  northern  Irish  were 
plotting  a  new  rebellion,  into  which  Sir  Randal  would  not  enter,  and 
therefore  they  intended  that  he  should  be  replaced  in  the  ownership 
of  the  Route  and  Glynns  by  Alexander.     The  jjlot  was  betrayed  ;  at 


28  mOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Arranach,  because  he  had  been  fostered  in  the  Scottish 
Island  of  Arran,  marched  at  the  head  of  his  clan  to  assist 
Hugh  O'Neill  and  the  Spanish  troops  in  Munster,  where 
most  of  his  followers  perished  in  the  disastrous  battle  of 
Kinsale,  In  the  meantime  Sir  Arthur  Chichester,  Governor 
of  Carrickfergus,  took  advantage  of  their  absence;  "I  founde 
Randall  gone  with  Tyrone,"  says  he,  "  towards  Mounster 
with  120  foote  and  24  horse,  leavinge  his  nephewe  with  the 
rest  of  his  force  for  the  garde  of  that  countrie.      Bot    I 

the  trial,  however,  Alexander  was  acquitted,  but  Brian  O'lSTeill,  Art 
0  Neill,  Gorrie  O'Kane,  Alexander  MacSorley,  and  Loughlin  O'Laverty, 
a  priest,  were  executed.     (Vol.  II.  p.  324.)     Alexander  was  created  a 
baronet  in  1627  ;  he  resided  at  a  place  called  Moyane— '  the  plain  of 
of  the  river,'  probably  near  the  cross  in  the  Parish  of  Ballymoney.    He 
was  succeeded  by  Sir  James,  of  Ballybanagh,  the  second  baronet  who 
took  a  leading  part  in  the  County  of  Antrim  part  of  the  war  of  1641, 
for  which  his  estate  was  forfeited  and  never  restored;  he,  however, 
obtained  some  lands  under  the  Act  of  Settlement.     His  eldest  son, 
Colonel  Alexander  M'Donnell,  married  Elizabeth  Howard,  daughter  of 
Henry,  Earl  of  Surrey,  Arundel,  and  Norfolk,  and  had  by  her  Randal; 
he  had  also  Sarah  married  to  Francis  Echlin,  of  MountstafFord  ;  Mary 
married  to  John  O'Neill,  of  Ballybollan  (see  Vol.  III.  p.  389) ;    Anne 
married  to  Evir  Magennis,  of  Castlewellan  ;   and  another  daughter 
married  to    Murrogh  O'Flagherty,    of    Ballynahinch,    Co.     Galway. 
Colonel   Alexander    died    during   the  lifetime  of    his  father.       Sir 
James,  in  his  will  made  in  1688,  left  his  lands  of  Rabirenny  and  Horky, 
in  the  barony  of  Dunluce,  and  some  lands  in  the  barony  of  Carey,  to 
his  wife  during  her  lifetime,  out  of  which  £50  was  to  be  paid  to  his 
grand-daughter,  Mary  O'Neill  (of  Ballybollan),  and  if  his  wife  wished 
a  similar  sum  to  the  children  of  Murrogh  O'Flagherty.     The  estate 
having  been  forfeited,  the  trustees  for  the  children  of  Randal  claimed  for 
them,  these  were  James,   Randal,  John,   Mary,  and  Henrietta.     Sir 
Randal  assumed  the  title,  which  had  been  forfeited,  and  dying  in  1728, 
was  succeeded  by   his   son  Randal   in   the   nominal   title  ;    he   was 
Colonel  of  a  regiment  in  the  service  of  the  King  of  France.     He  was 
styled  Sir  Randal  M'Donnell,  of  Cross,  in  the  County  of  Antrim.     He 
died   unmarried   in    1740,    and  was  succeeded  in  the  title  by   his 
brother,  Sir  John  M'Donnell. 


DAL-RIADA.  29 

coraeinge  unlocked  for  among  theai,  made  my  entrance 
almost  as  far  as  Dunluce,  where  I  spared  neither  house, 
corne,  nor  creature.  ...  I  have  often  sayd  and  writen 
it  is  famine  that  must  consume  them;  our  swordes  and  other 
endeavours  work  not  that  speedie  effect  which  is  expected  ; 
for  their  overthrowes  are  safeties  to  the  speedie  runners, 
upon  which  we  kyll  no  multetudes."  Randal  soon  observed 
that  the  cause  of  Tyrone  was  hopeless,  and  in  the  Autumn 
of  1602,  he  was  at  Tullaghoge  to  assist  Lord  Mountjoy, 
where  he  was  knighted  by  that  Lord-Deputj  ;  and  he  had 
also  the  good  fortune  to  keep  James  YI.  of  Scotland, 
well  informed  on  passing  events. 

On  this  account,  and,  perhaps,  also  on  account  of  the  re- 
lationship between  the  M'Donnells  and  the  house  of  Stewart, 
James,  on  his  accession  to  the  throne  of  England,  granted 
by  letters  patent,  dated  May  28th,  1603,  to  Sir  Randal  all 
the  territories  called  the  Route  and  Glynns. 

In  the  Route.  1st.  The  Tuogh  (district)  between  the 
Bann  and  the  Bush,  comprehending  the  Parishes  of  Cole- 
i-aine,  BaJlywillin,  Ballyaghran,  Ballyrashane,  Dunluce,  and 
Kildollagh. 

2.  Tuogh  of  Dunseverick  and  Ballintoy — that  part  of  the 
Parish  of  Billy  which  lies  in  the  barony  of  Gary,  in  which 
is  Dunseverick  and  the  Parish  of  Ballintoy, 

3.  Ballylough,  containing  that  part  of  the  Parish  of  Billy, 
which  is  in  the  barony  of  Lower  Dunluce,  together  with  the 
Parish  of  Derrykeiglian;  in  this  lay  the  Castle  of  Ballylough. 

4.  Tuogh  of  Loughgill,  so  called  from  the  Parish  of 
Loughguile,  which  forms  the  chief  part  of  it ;  in  it  was  the 
Castle  of  Loughguile. 

5.  Tuogh  of  Ballymoney  and  Dromart ;  it  included  the 
Parishes  of  Ballymoney,  in  which  is  tbe  district  of  Dromard, 
together  with  the  Parish  of  Kilraght. 


30  DIOCESE    OP   CONNOR. 

6.  Tuogh  of  Kilconway — Kilconway  was  originally  the 
territorial  name  for  tbe  western  part  of  the  Parish  of  Finvoy. 

7.  Tuogh  of  Killioquin  ;  Killyquin  is  now  the  name  of  an 
estate  containing  thirteen  townlands  in  the  western  part  of 
"Rasharkin  Parish.  In  the  journal  of  Phelim  O'Neill,  by 
his  chaplain,  O'Mellan,  the  name  is  written  Coiil  Ui  Cuinn, 
"  the  wood  of  O'Quin." 

8.  Tuogh  of  Killiomorrie — "the  wood  of  O'Murry,"  now 
known  as  Killymurris,  a  district  which  contains  the 
eastern  part  of  the  Parish  of  Finvoy;  in  it  is  1  he  village 
of  Dunloy. 

9.  Tuogh  of  Magheradunagh — Machaire-dhuin-Eachdach 
— "  the  plain  of  the  fort  of  Eachdacli."  This  Tuogh  was 
principally  made  up  the  Parish  of   Dunaghy. 

The  district  of  the  Glynns  was  divided  into  seven 
territories. 

1.  Tuogh  of  Munerie  was  about  co-extensive  with  the 
Parish  of  Ramoan  and  Grange  of  Drumtullagh;  in  the  Parish 
of  Ramoan  was  the  castle  which  gave  name  to  Ballycastle. 
This  district  is  called  in  various  documents  Munerie, 
Many  berry,  Mowbray,  and  Mowberry. 

2.  Cynamond  of  Armoy  and  Raghlins.  This  cinament  or 
minor  territory  contained  the  Parish  of  Armoy  and  the 
Island  of  Rathlin. 

3.  Tuogh  of  Carey. — Gary  is  often  used  as  synonymous 
with  the  parochial  name  of  Culfeightrin. 

4.  Tuogh  of  Glinniconogh. — In  the  grant  under  the 
"  Act  of  Settlement  and  Explanation,*'  it  is  called  Tuogh  of 
Middle  Glynnes,  and  Dr.  Reeves  supposes  that  Glinniconagh 
is  a  corruption  of  Gleann  Meadhonach  (pronounced  Meay- 
nonach),  the  middle-glenn. 

5.  Tuogh  of  Largie — the  part  of  the  Parish  of  Ardclinis, 


DAL-RIADA.  31 

which  lies  between  Nappan  and  Lemnalarrie,  is  still  called 
the  Largy.  Learga  signifies  "  slopes  of  hills,"  and  is  applied 
to  land  sloping  down  to  water. 

6.  Tuogh  of  Parke — included  the  Parishes  of  Tickma- 
creevan^  Templeoiighter,  and  Solan,  and  was  named  from 
the  park  attached  to  the  Castle  <>£  Glenarm 

7.  Tuogh  of  Larne  comprised  the  Parishes  of  Carncastle, 
Killyglen,  Kilwaughter,  and  Larne. 

The  sixteen  territories,  according  to  the  Ordnance  Survey, 
contain  333,907  acres,  1  rood  and  36  perches.  See  .Dr. 
Reeves's  Eccl.  Antiquities. 

All  this  vast  territory  was  granted  to  Sir  Randal  with  all 
its  hereditaments,  spiritual  and  temporal ;  to  hold  of  the 
crown  by  the  service  of  six  knights  fees,  and  paying  yearly 
at  Carrickfergus  160  fat  beeves,  or  for  every  beeve  20/-, 
presenting  to  the  chief  governor  for  the  time  being  a  cast  of 
good  falcons,  and  maintaining  20  able  horsemen  and  120 
footmen  well  armed,  to  serve  in  all  general  hostings  for  the 
space  of  forty  days.  Sir  Arthur  Chichester  was  wrathful 
against  Sir  Randal,  he  hated  the  M'Donnell  race,  who  had 
slain  his  brother ;  he  writes  to  Cecil,  now  Salisbury,  in  June, 
1606,  and  says  Sir  Randal  "is  neither  thankful  or  obedient," 

*  The  names  of  the  Glens  are — 1.  Glenshesk,  through  which  runs 
the  River  Shesk,  dividing  the  Parishes  of  Ramoan  and  Culfeightrin. 
2.  Glendun,  traversed  by  the  River  Dun.  3.  Glencorp,  a  small  valley 
at  the  N.E.  of  Layd.  4.  Glenaan,  giving  name  to  a  townland  in  Layd. 
5.  Glenballyeraon,  in  Layd,  the  stream  that  runs  through  it  is  marked 
on  Lendrick's  County  Map.  The  streams,  -which  flow  through  this 
glen  and  the  last,  meet  and  form  the  River  Dall,  which  gives  name  to 
Cushendall  at  its  mouth.  6.  Glenarriff  lies  between  Layd  and 
Ardclinis  ;  the  stream  which  flows  through  it  is  called  the  Acre  River, 
but  on  Petty's  Map  it  is  marked  Dree  fluvius.  7.  Glencloy,  between 
Ardclinis  and  Ticmacrevan,  beginning  at  Camlough.  8.  Glenarm,  in 
Tickmacrevan.     See  Reeves's  Eccl.  Antiquities. 


32  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOE. 

and  that  "some  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  that  were  as 
slaves  unto  him "  should  be  made  freeholders  under  the 
crown,  that  "  his  father  held  only  four  tuoghsof  M'Quyllin's 
land  by  grant  from  the  deputy,  which  be  right  (if  any  were), 
should  have  descended  to  the  son  of  his  elder  brother,  the 
dispossessing  of  whose  children  and  thrusting  the  M'Quyllin's 
clean  out  of  all,  would  in  time  raise  trouble  in  those  parts." 
See  Russell's  and  Prendergast's  Calendar.  Thomas  Phillip's 
writes  to  Cecil,  that  he  has  a  lease  of  Portrush  for  forty 
years,  and  prays  to  have  a  settled  estate  there ;  Sir  James 
Hamilton  got  a  conveyance  of  the  whole  fishery  of  "  the 
pool  of  Lough  Neagh  and  the  River  Band  up  to  tlie  rock  or 
waterfall  called  the  Salmon  Leap."  This  he  affected  by 
discovering  a  flaw  in  Sir  Randal's  patent ;  "in  this  device 
Captain  Thomas  Phillips  being  formerly  his  (Sir*  Randal's), 
farmer  of  that  fishing,  hath  joined  with  Hamilton."  On  the 
10th  of  April,  IGOG,  Hamilton  sold  this  fishery  to  Sir  Arthur 
Chichester.  In  obedience  to  a  direction  of  the  king.  Sir 
Randal  surrendered  the  estate  and  on  the  l6th  of  J  uly,  1606, 
had  a  re-grant  of  it  (but  with  a  reservation  thereout  of  the 
Castle  of  Dunluce  for  a  fort,  but  he,  or  his  heirs  to  have  the 
custody  of  it);  of  the  priory  of  Coleraine ;  of  three  parts  of  the 
fishing  of  the  Bann ;  of  the  Castle  of  Olderfleet ;  and  of  all  the 
lands  belonging  to  the  bishoprick  of  Down  and  Connor ;  to 
hold  of  the  crown  by  the  like  tenure,  as  in  the  former  grant, 
except  the  addition  of  four  horsemen  ;  with  power  to  create 
manors;  and,  a  license  to  hold  several  markets  and  fail's, 
viz  : — a  fair  on  St,  John  Baptist's  day  at  Clough  ;  on 
Michaelmas  Day  at  Dunkerd;  a  Saturday  market  at  Dunluce; 
a  Tuesday's  market  at  Dunanynie ;  and,  a  Thursday's 
market  at  Glenarm.  After  the  flight  of  the  Earls  of  Tyrone 
and  Tyrconuell,  Phillips  again   strove  to  obtain  Purtrush  as 


DAL-RIADA.  33 

a  place  to  be  fortified,  and  a  grant  of  Coleraine  and  lands  on 
the  west  of  the  Bann,  to  supply  a  garrison  which  he 
proposed  to  establish  there  ;  but  the  king  gave  Coleraine  and 
the  lands  on  the  west  of  the  Bann  to  the  London  Companies. 
To  further  this  scheme,  Sir  Randal,  in  obedience  to  the 
king,  surrendered  on  the  29th  of  November,  1610,  nine 
towns  and  thi-ee  quarters  of  land  next  adjoining  the  town  of 
Coleraine ;  and,  in  consideration  of  this,  he  had  a  confir- 
mation of  the  remainder  of  his  estate  at  the  yearly  rent  of 
£80,  one  cast  of  falcons,  and  a  rising  of  20  horsemen  and 
116  footmen.  On  the  2 1st  of  June,  1615,  the  Castle  of 
Dunluce,  which  had  been  reserved  in  the  grant  of  1606,  was 
confirmed  to  him  to  hold  by  the  twentieth  part  of  a  knights 
fee  and  the  rent  of  5/-.  In  1618  he  was  created  Viscount 
Dunluce,  and  on  the  12th  of  December,  1620,  he  was 
advanced  to  the  dignity  of  Earl  of  Antrim,  with  the  annual 
creation  fee  of  £20  sterling.  See  Lodge.  In  1621  the  Earl 
was  summoned  by  the  liOrd-Deputy  Grandison  to  answer 
the  charge  of  having  sheltered  in  his  castles  certain  "  Romish 
Priests."  The  Earl  knew  Grandison  to  be  a  dangerous 
fanatical  hater  of  Catholics,  and  wisely  appealed  to  the  King 
who  always  befriended  him.     James  wrote  to  the  Deputy — 

"Although  the  oflence  committed  by  him  (Antrim),  is  of  such  nature 
as  we  are  not  easily  moved  to  remit  it,  yet  in  respect  that  he  so  in- 
geniously acknowledged  his  errors,  and  faithfully  promised  not  to  fall 
into  the  like  again,  we  are  graciously  pleased  thus  for  to  concede  to  his 
desire  as  to  require  you  to  take  order,  that  he  shall  not  be  further 
questioned  or  proceeded  against  there  by  any  of  our  officers  for  the  said 
offence  ;  but  we  yet  hope,  when  he  shall  repair  to  our  presence,  to 
prevail  more  with  him  by  our  gracious  admonitions  for  his  future 
amendment,  than  by  such  punishments  as  might  justly  be  inflicted 
upon  him  by  our  law." 

The  Earl  of  Antrim,  by  his  great  influence  with  James  I., 
contrived  to  obtain  absolute   proprietorship  of  all  Dalrieda, 


34  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

with,  perhaps,  the  implied  condition  that  he  would  make 
sub-grants  to  the  heads  of  the  old  septs,  that  once  held  rule 
in  the  territory  ;  to  some  of  them  he  made  sub-grants  of 
a  temporary  nature  ;  but  Cahill  O'Hara,  by  opposing  a  confir- 
mation of  the  King's  grant  to  the  Earl,  necessitated  him,  in 
order  to  avoid  delay,  to  confer  upon  him  the  fee-simple  of 
Loughguile  estate.  From  the  Fee-Book  of  the  celebrated 
physician,  Thomas  Arthur,  it  appears  that  he  attended  the 
Earl  on  the  5th  April,  1632,  for  dropsy,  when  he  received  a 
fee  of  £17,  and  again  on  the  10th  of  April,  1633,  when  he 
was  paid  o£5.  He  died  at  Dunluce  on  the  lOfch  of  December, 
1636,  and  was  buried  in  a  vault  which  he  had  erected  in 
Bunamairge.  The  Earl  was  twice  married  ;  the  name  of 
first  wife  is  not  known,  that  of  his  second  wife  was  Ellis, 
or  Alice  O'Neill ;  both  Sir  John  Davys  and  Sir  Arthur 
Chichester  state  that  she  was  the  daughter  of  Hugh  O'Neill, 
Earl  of  Tyrone,  though  others  who  had  not  so  good  an 
opportunity  of  knowing,  call  her  the  sister  of  Hugh  O'Neill. 
By  his  first  marriage  he  had  two  sons,  one  named  James, 
who  was  taken  prisoner  at  Dover  on  landing  from  Calais. 

"  July  15th,  1624.  Secretary  Conway  writing  to  the  Lord  President 
Manderville,  forwards  the  person  and  examination  of  M'Donnell,  sent 
from  Dover  by  Lord  flouch.  Examination  of  James  M'Donnell — Is 
second  son  of  the  Earl  of  Antrim,  and  was  brought  up  till  the  age  of 
13  years  at  his  father's  house  in  Antrim  ;  then  travelled  and  studied 
in  foreign  countries  three  or  four  years,  and  retiu-ned  two  years  ago  to 
his  father  ;  travelled  again  into  Spain,  France,  and  Flanders,  and 
sailed  from  Calais  in  the  same  ship  which  brouglit  over  Sir  Edward 
Herbert.  Hoped  to  find  his  father  and  friends  in  London.  Is  not  a 
priest,  but  refuses  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Dover,  July  12th.  StaU 
Papers  1623 — 1625,  Domestic  Series,  James  I. 

This  seems  to  be  the  same  person,  wlio,  liaving  become  a 
Franciscan,  was  called  Father  Francis  jM'Dounell.  In  1632 
the  bishops  of  Ulster  petitioned  the  Holy  See  to  appoint 


DAL-RIADA.  35 

him  to  the  see  of  Clougher,  but  the  petition  was  not  granted. 
The  original  document  is  preserved  in  the  St.  Isidore 
collection,  now  in  the  Franciscan  Convent,  Dublin  ;  a  copy 
of  it  with  the  following  translation  was  published  by  Father 
Meehan.  in  his  Irish  Franciscan  Monasteries. 

1456941' 

"  Most  blessed  Father, — We  are  filled  with  joy  at  hearing  that 
our  continuous  prayers  for  your  holiness,  and  our  hearts'  thanks  for 
benefits  conferred  on  Ireland,  have  not  proved  unacceptable.  Ireland 
acknowledges  the  increment  of  faith  and  Christian  virtues  she  has 
already  received,  and  is  every  day  receiving,  from  the  zeal  and  vigilance 
of  those  whom  your  holiness  has  raised  to  bishoprics  in  our  country. 
A  few  years  ago  this  island  had  hardly  anyone  to  break  bread  to  her 
children  ;  but  now,  by  God's  favor,  and  your  clemencj',  she  has  a  fair 
number  of  bishops,  and  very  many  energetic  priests  ;  so  much  so,  that 
in  a  short  time  hence  we  hope  to  see  realised  the  prophetic  vision  of 
St.  Patrick,  who  in  a  dream  beheld  all  the  fires  in  this  land 
nearly  quenched,  and  then  suddenly  flaring  into  a  magnifi- 
cent conflagration.  Hence  it  is  that  we  bishops  of  the  province 
of  Armagh,  relying  on  your  wonted  clemency,  and  desiring  to  have  a 
partner  in  our  pastoral  charge,  have  not  hesitated  to  supplicate  your 
holiness  to  advance  the  reverend  father  ti'rancis  M'Donnell  to  the  see 
of  Clogher.  We  have  been  moved  by  good  reasons  to  make  thi.': 
request.  He  for  whom  we  postulate  derives  from  father  and  mother 
the  best  blood  of  the  ancient  Irish  princes.  Again  his  fitness  and 
deservings  will  be  the  more  apparent  when  we  state  that  he,  although 
son  of  the  earl  of  Antrim — a  personage  of  vast  influence  in  England, 
Scotland,  and  Ireland — left  all  things  for  Christ,  and  while  yet  a 
stripling,  took  the  habit  of  St.  Francis,  in  a  convent  of  the  Strict 
Observance.  His  virtues  and  learning  are  appreciated  by  his  country 
and  order,  to  both  of  which  he  is  an  ornament.  Furthermore,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Diocese  of  Clogher,  the  nobility  and  gentry  especially, 
who  are  allied  to  him,  either  by  consanguinity  or  affinity,  love  him  and 
long  to  have  him  appointed  their  spiritual  chief.  We  may  add,  that 
his  noble  father,  who  is  a  zealous  protector  of  religion,  and  has  deserved 
well  of  the  Church,  ardently  desires  to  be  able  to  glorify  the  Lord,  for 
having  given  him  a  son  worthy  such  a  grand  office.  The  sage  earl 
knows  that  the  merits  of  the  children  incline  God  to  deal  mercifully 
with  the  parents.  Another  consideration,  and  in  our  opinion  one  of 
great  momsnt,  can  be  urged  in  this  man's  behalf.     Should  persecution 


36  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

— may  heaven  avert  it— come  more  fiercely  upon  us,  he,  owing  to  his 
sire's  connections  with  many  of  the  principal  families  of  Scotland  and 
England,  will  be  comparatively  free  in  the  exercise  of  his  sacred  calling. 
These  are  some  of  the  motives  which  have  urged  the  bishops  of  the 
province  of  Armagh  to  supplicate  your  holiness,"  etc.,  etc. 
"  From  the  plane  of  our  refuge  in  Ireland,  22nd  July.  1632. 

"Hugh  Reilly,  Armagh. 

"Thomas,  Meath. 

"John  CuUinan,  Raphoe. 

"Eugene  Sweeny,  Kilmore. 

"  Bonaventure,  Down  and  Connor." 

Mr.  Hill,  in  his  M'Donnelh  of  Antrim,  supposes  Father 
Francis  to  have  been  an  illegitimate  son  of  the  Earl,  but  if 
he  had  been  such,  his  illegitimacy  would  have  been  mentioned 
in  the  postulation.  He  was  not  a  son  of  Alice  O'Neill,  for 
his  relationship  to  Hugh  O'Neill  would  not  have  been 
omitted  in  the  postulation ;  moreover  Alice  O'Neill  who 
was  married  about  1604,  had  not  children  for  some  yeax-s 
afterwards,  in  consequence  of  which  she  and  Sir  Eandal 
made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  well  of  St.  Bridget,  near  Athlone 
(Colgaris  Trias  Thaumaturgus ) — yet  James  M'Donnell,  or 
Father  Francis,  "the  second  son  of  Earl  of  Antrim," 
seems  to  have  been  of  age  for  ordination  in  1624.*  Lady 
Alice  bore  him  two  sons,  Randal  and  Alexander,  and  six 
daughters,  one  of  whom,  Anne,  was  the  grandmother  of 
William  Fleming,  Baron  Slane,  who  resided  at  Anticor,  near 
Dunloy.  The  first  husband  of  another  daughter,  Sarah,  was 
Neal  Oge  O'Neill,  of  Killelagh,  who  was  the  grandson  of 
Hugh    M'Felim,  slain   by  the    M'Donnells   in    1583,    and 

*  Father  Francis  died  at  Louvain,  26th  of  August,  1636.  Hia 
decease  is  rciorded  in  the  Franciscan  book  of  obits  thus: — "Die 
26  August,  decessit  K.  P.  Franciscus  M'Donnell,  Illmi.  comitis  de 
Antrim  filius.  Guardianus  emeritus  in  Hibernia,  et  ex-diilinitor, 
hujus  collegii  St.  Antonii  Guardianas." — See  Father  Meehan's  Irhh 
Hierarchy. 


DAL-RIADA.  37 

interred  on  the  summit  of  Ora.  By  that  marriage  Saiah 
was  the  grandmother  of  Sir  Neal  O'Neill,  one  of  the  bravest 
officers  in  the  army  of  James  II. ;  he  was  killed  at  the 
Boyne.  To  his  countess,  Lady  Alice,  the  Earl  bequeathed 
the  tuoghs  of  Monery  and  Carey,  with  the  Castle  in  Bally- 
castle,  where  she  resided  at  the  commencement  of  the  1641 
war,  and  was  accused  of  assisting  the  Irish,  as  might  be 
expected  from  the  daughter  of  Hugh  O'Neill.  -To  his  elder 
son,  Kandal,  who  succeeded  him  in  the  title  he  bequeathed 
the  baronies  of  Dunluce  and  Kilconway  with  the  Castle  or 
Dunlucej  and  to  his  younger  son  Alexander,  who  eventually 
succeeded  his  brother  in  the  title,  he  bequeathed  the  barony 
of  Glenarm  with  the  Castle  of  Glenarm.  To  each  of  his 
daughters  he  bequeathed  .£2,800,  and  directed  "  that  the 
sum  of  six  score  pounds  sterling  shall  be  distributed  among 
the  churchmen  and  the  poor." 

Randal,  second  Earl  and  afterwards  Marquis  of  Antrim, 
was  born,  according  to  a  inscription  on  his  coffin,  in  the  year 
1610.  Richard  Dobbs  in  his  Briefe  Description  of  Antrim 
says  of  him — "  The  Lord  Marquis  has  told  me  that  he  wore 
neither  hat,  cap,  nor  shoe,  nor  stocking,  till  7  or  8  years 
old,  being  bred  in  the  Highland  way.  He  was  a  proper 
clean  lymmed  man,  first  married  to  the  Dutchess  of  Buck- 
ingham, and  after  to  Rose,  daughter  of  Sir  Henry  O'JSTel], 
of  Shane's  Castle,  now  living."  In  1639  he  carried  a 
considerable  aid  to  King  Charles  in  his  first  expedition 
against  the  Scots.  After  the  commencement  of  the  1641 
war  "  some  false  reports  and  asperations,"  says  I-odge, 
"were  carried  into  England,  of  the  earl's  not  only  joining 
with  the  rebels,  but  of  being  concerned  in  the  very  beginning 
of  the  rebellion  r  but  from  that  malicious  charge,  Sir  William 
Parsons,  one  of  the  Lords  Justices,  under  whose  eye  he  lived 


38  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR, 

at  that  time  in  Dublin,  wrote  into  England  a  vindication  of 
him ;  and  it  is  certain  he  was  so  far  from  being  engaged  in 
the  beginning  of  the  rebellion,  that  he  retired  with  his  lady 
from  Dublin  soon  after  its  commencement  to  the  Earl  of 
Castlehaven's  seat,  at  Maidenstown,  near  Kildare,  and  lived 
there  some  five  or  six  months  in  peace  and  quiet."  Finding 
liimself  in  great  danger  he  came  to  his  estates,  but  during 
his  absence  Mr.  Archibald  Stewart,  his  agent,  had  raised  a 
force  of  about  800  men,  principally  among  his  tenants.  A 
portion  of  this  force,  under  Alaster  MacColl  M'Donnell  and 
his  brother  James,  joined  the  Irish,  and  after  defeating 
Stewart  near  Ballyraoney,  were  besieging  Coleraine.  The 
Earl  at  once  proceeded  to  the  camp  of  the  besiegers,  where 
he  succeeded  in  prevailing  with  them  to  grant  to  the  in- 
habitants permission  to  graze  their  cattle  within  a  circuit  of 
three  miles  around  the  town.  After  that  his  Lordship 
sent  into  the  town  about  three  score  horses  laden  with  corn 
for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants.  About  the  middle  of 
April,  1642,  Moni-o  with  about  two  thousand  five  hundred 
Scots  arrived  in  Ireland,  marched  into  the  Earl's  estate, 
seized  on  about  five  thousand  cows,  and  burned  Glenarm. 
He  ofiered  Monro  his  service  and  assistance  for  securing  the 
country.  Monro  made  him  a  visit  to  Dunluce  where  the 
Earl  provided  for  him  a  great  entertainment ;  but  it  was  no 
sooner  over  than  the  Major-General  made  him  a  pi-isoner, 
carried  him  to  Carrickfergus,  and  seized  on  his  castles  and 
lands.  From  Carrickfergus  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  make 
his  escape.  "  Having  obtained  the  General's  pass  for  a  sick 
man,  two  of  his  servants  carried  him  in  a  bed  as  sick,  to  the 
shore  and  got  him  boated  for  Carlisle,  and  thence  to  York." 
Bailie's  Letters,  Vol.  1.,  quoted  by  Hill.)  "  He  went  to  the 
king  and  was  by   him,  as  Colonel  James  M'Donnell,  his. 


DAL-RIADA.  3<) 

relative  and  friend  told  me,  designed  to  be  Lord  Lieutenant 
of  Ireland,  and  came  hence  in  a  vessel  stored  witli  arms,  and 
off  Greencastle  (Co.  Down),  sent  one  in  a  boat  to  see  if  they 
were  friends  or  enemies  in  the  castle.  The  man  was  taken 
bj'  Monro,  and  by  a  shirt  placed  upon  a  stick,  signifies  they 
were  friends.  Antrim  landed  and  was  taken  and  put  into 
Carrickfei'gus  again,  whence  after  nine  months  he  escaped.* 
Antrim  went  from  Charlemont  to  Kilkenny.  Carte  MS. 
Bodleian  Library,  Oxford,  quoted  by  Mr.  Hill.)  The  Earl 
arrived  at  Oxford,  16  th  of  December,  ]6i3,  where  he  in- 
formed the  king  "that  if  he  would  grant  him  a  commission 
he  would  raise  an  army  in  Ireland,  and  transport  it  into 
Scotland,  and  would  himself  be  at  the  head  of  it ;  by  means 
whereof,  he  believed  all  the  clan  of  the  M'Donnells  in  the 
Highlands  might  be  persuaded  to  follow  him."  Lodge. 
The  King  was  greatly  pleased  at  the  proposal  and  created 
him  Marquis  of  Antrim  on  the  26th  of  January,  1644.  The 
Marquis  finding  that  he  could  not  succeed  without  the  aid  of 
the  Supreme  Council  at  Kilkenny,  took  the  oath  of  associ- 
ation. "  It  was  resolved  that  Antrim  should  be  put  at  the 
head  of  some  of  the  Confederate  Irish,  to  spirit  up  the  Scots 
(Highlanders),  and  the  Marquis  of  Montrose's  command 
there,  with  a  promise  that  Antrim  should  be  made 
Duke  of  Argyle.  The  Supreme  Council  approved  of 
Antrim's  design,  but  said  that  Ireland  wanted  soldiers  and 
money  to  furnish  out  an  army.  Antrim  answered  to  keep 
his  word  with  the  king,  '  Do  you  but  furnish  me  with  arms 
and  ships  to  transport  them,  and  I  will  find  soldiers.'  The 
Supreme  Council  agreed,  and  Antrim  got  together  his  tenants 
of  Antrim   and   Clandeboie,  who  had  served   in   the   Irish 

*  For  a  curious  account  of  Antrim's  second  escape,  see  Doivn  and 
Connor,  Vol.  II. ,  p.  335 


40  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Army,"  (Carte  MS.S.  Bodleian  Library,  Oxford,  quoted  by 
Mr.  Hill.)  The  Earl  wrote  foj  James  M'Donnell,  the 
grandson  of  Sir  James  who  was  poisoned  at  Dunluce  in 
1601,  and  for  Alaster  MacColl  M'Donnell,  and  committed 
to  them  the  command  of  the  expedition  to  Scotland.  (For 
the  gallant  actions  performed  by  this  little  force  see  note  on 
Alaster  M'Donnell,  under  Parish  of  Coleraine.)  From 
this  time  till  the  end  of  1646  the  Marquis  was  engaged  in 
efforts  to  sustain  the  Irish  army  in  Scotland.  He  used  his 
best  endaavours  to  oppose  tJie  disastrous  policy  of  Ormonde, 
espacially  that  of  surrendering  the  Government  in  1647  to 
the  Parliamentarian  agents.  "  At  length  the  Marquis 
entered  into  an  intrigue  with  Cromwell,  from  whom  in  1651 
he  had  an  assignment  of  X500  a  year  and  his  protection 
from  being  arrested  or  imprisoned  during  his  stay  in  the 
Parliament's  quarters,  having,  in  16.55,  =£890  a  year  allowed 
him.  Yet  he  did  not  forget  his  duty  to  his  Prince,  which 
he  expressed  by  assisting  him  with  arms  and  ammunition  ; 
and,  after  his  forces  were  defeated  at  Worcester,  furnished 
him  with  ships  to  make  his  escape  into  foreign  parts^  for 
which  and  other  considerations  he  was  restored  to  his  estates 
by  the  Acts  of  Settlement,  and  at  length  after  much  dithculty, 
received  a  confirmation  thereof  by  two  patents  under  the 
Great  Seal."  Lodge.  For  an  account  of  the  many  difficultes 
which  the  Marquis  exjierienced  in  dispossessing  the  Crom- 
wellian  officer  from  his  estates  see  The  MacBonueWs  of 
Antrim,  by  the  Rev.  G.  Hill.  Lord  Antrim  married  the 
widow  of  George  Villiers,  Duke  of  Buckingham,  and 
secondly.  Rose,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Sir  Henry  O'Neill, 
of  Shane's  Castle.  He  died  at  Ballymagarry  on  tbe  3rd  of 
February,  1683,  and  was  buried  in  Bunamargy.  As  he  died 
without  issue,  the  title  of  Marquis  became  extinct,  and  the 
Earldom  devolved  on  his  brother. 


DALRIADA.  41 

Alexander,  the  third  Earl  of  Antrim,  was  born  in  1615. 
After  his  father's  death  in  1636,  he  travelled  in  different 
parts  of  the  Continent,  and  returned  about  the  beginning  of 
the  1641  war.  He  was  appointed  in  1642  by  the  Confederate 
Catholics  to  the  command  of  a  regiment,  and  in  some 
respects  was  opposed  to  the  policy  of  his  brother.  In  1651 
he  served  under  Ever  M'Mahon,  Bishop  of  Clogher.  He 
was  attainted  of  treason,  and  the  Barony  of  Glenarm,  which 
had  been  bequeathed  to  him,  was  in  1653  set  out  to  adven- 
turers and  soldiers.  After  the  Restoration  the  attainder 
was  reversed,  and  he  was  restored  to  his  estate  by  the  Act 
of  Explanation.  In  1685  he  was  admitted  as  a  member  of 
the  Privy  Covmcil  of  James  II.,  who  appointed  him  colonel 
of  a  regiment  of  infantry. 

It  was  against  this  regiment  of  the  Earl  of  Antrim  that 
the  Apprentice  Boys  closed  the  gates  of  Derry  in  1689  : 
the  Earl  was  afterwards  attainted,  but  was  eventually 
adjudged  to  be  comprised  within  the  Articles  of  Limerick. 
The  Earl  was  twice  married.  His  second  wife,  Helena, 
daughter  of  John  Bourke  of  Derry maclachtney,  in  the 
County  of  Galway,  bore  to  him  Randal,  who  succeeded  him, 
and  a  daughter.  He  also  left  an  illegitimate  son,  named  Daniel 
MacDonnell,  to  whom  he  leased,  it  was  alleged,  extensive 
lands  in  the  Parish  of  Layd  for  500  years  at  the  rent  of  £5. 
This  young  man  was  a  captain  in  his  father's  regiuient,  and 
was  in  consequence  attainted,  and  his  property  was  sold  in 
1702  and  purchased  by  the  Hollow  Sword  Blade  Company 
for  £2,596.     Earl  Alexander  died  in  England  in  1699, 

Randal,  the  fourth  Earl,  was  born  in  1680.  He  married 
Rachael,  eldest  daughter  of  Clotworthy, Yiscount  Massereene. 
The  following  undated  letter  of  Lord  Antrim's  brother-in- 
law,  which  is  preserved  in  the  Public  Record  Office,  Dublin, 


42  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

and  is  now  for  the  first  time  published,  shows  with  what 
suspicions  the  Irish  Catholics  were  regarded  by  the  Govern- 
ment at  the  commencement  of  the  reign  of  George  I., 

giR^ — When  I  received  the  two  proclamations — one  to  proclaim 
His  Majesty  and  the  other  to  seize  any  arms  and  horses  in  the  hands 
of  any  Papists — I  was  at  my  Lord  Antrim's,  and  did  not  receive 
them  till  ten  o'clock  on  Monday  night  ;  so  I  could  not  put  the 
former  in  execution  till  yesterday,  which  I  did  in  the  best  manner  in 
my  power.  As  to  the  latter,  I  showed  it  to  my  Lord  Antrim,  being 
then  with  him.  He  delivered  to  me  all  his  arms,  which  were  three 
pair  of  pistols,  three  guns,  and  two  swords  ;  the  number  of  his  horses 
are — four  stoned  horses,  two  stoned  colts,  six  mares,  one  filly,  two 
geldings,  eight  coach  mares,  which,  pray,  acquaint  the  Lords  Justices 
I  have  in  my  possession  to  deliver  to  their  order  for  His  Majesty 
whenever  they  shall  please  to  direct,  which  is  all  from.  Sir,  your 
most  humble  servant,  Massereene. 

It  was  believed  that  Antrim  intended  to  raise  a  force  to 
assist  the  Pretender,  Lord  Antrim  was  imprisoned  in 
Dublin,  but  was  permitted  by  his  keeper  to  visit  the  Lord 
Lieutenant  (the  Duke  of  Grafton),  who  ordered  his  release. 
The  Sub-Sheriff  searched  Glenarm  Castle,  arrested  Captain 
Stewart,  but  failed  to  seize  Francis  Bourke.  These  men 
were  supposed  to  be  the  organisers  of  the  rebel  force.  Major 
Kerr  writes  from  Cai-rickfergus  on  the  14th  of  July,  1716, 
about  one  O'Hagan,  who  came  from  Scotland  with  five 
persons  in  a  boat,  and  landed  at  a  small  bay,  communed 
with  the  heads  of  the  Papists,  and  spent  money  freely.  He 
wonders  that  the  Government  has  not  a  barrack  opposite 
the  Highlands,  "  that  are  inhabited  by  many  clans  of  insolent 
Papists,  who  awe  the  Protestants,  and  are  at  the  Back  (beck) 
of  the  family  of  Antrim."  Record  Ojjice,  Dublin.  Randal, 
the  fourth  Earl,  died  in  1721,  and  was  buried  in  Christ's 
Church,  Dublin. 

Alexander,  the  fifth  Earl,  was  the  only  son  of  the  deceased 
f]arl,  and  was  only  eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 


DAL-RIADA.  43 

father's  death.  By  his  father's  will  he  was  placed  under 
the  guardianship  of  his  grandmother,  the  Lady  Dowager 
Massereene,  and  of  his  uncle,  Lord  Massereene,  by  whom  he 
was  reared  a  Protestant.  He  grew  up  prone  to  extravagant 
habits,  and  "  became  recklessly  generous  to  his  boon  com- 
panions," says  Mr.  Hill,  "  so  that  he  had  afterwards  bitter, 
cause  to  regret  the  folly  which  induced  him  to  alienate, 
without  remuneration,  several  fragments  of  his  estate." 
Many  of  the  estates  throughout  the  Eoute  and  Glynns  are 
held  by  deeds  granted  by  the  Earl.  He  was  thrice  mai'ried  ; 
by  his  second  wife  Anne,  daughter  of  Charles  Henry 
Plunkett,  of  Dillonstown,  in  the  County  of  Louth,  he  had 
Randal  William,  who  succeeded  him.  He  died  in  October, 
1775. 

Randal  William  the  Sixth  Earl  having  three  daughters, 
Ann  Katherine,  Letitia  Mary,  and  Charlotte,  and  no  son, 
obtained  in  1785  the  faovur  of  being  re-created  Viscount 
Dunluce  and  Earl  of  Antrim  with  limitations,  in  failure  of 
issue  male,  to  his  daughters. 

Anne  Katherine  succeeded  on  the  death  of  her  father,  in 
1791,  as  Viscountess  Dunluce  and  Countess  of  Antrim  ; 
she  married,  in  1799,  Sir  Henry  Vane  Tempest,  and  had 
one  daughter,  Charlotte,  who  became  Marchioness  of  Lon- 
donderry. Ann  Katherine,  Viscountess  Antrim,  died  in 
1834,  when  the  title  passed,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of 
her  second  sister  unmarried,  to  her  third  sister. 

Charlotte,  Viscountess  Antrim,  had  married,  in  1799, 
Rear- Admiral  Mark  Robert  Kerr,  third  son  of  the  Marquis 
of  Lothian,  by  whom  she  had  a  numerous  family.  She  died 
in  1835. 

Hugh  Seymour  Kerr,  her  fifth  son,  succeeded  to  the  title, 
but  dying  in  1855  and  leaving  an  only  child,  a  daughter,  the 


44  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

title  and  estate  passed  to  his  brothei',  Lord  Mark  Kerr,  who 
married  Jane,  daughter  of  Major  M'Cann,  of  Castlewellan. 
On  the  death  of  Earl  Mark  KeiT,  the  title  and  estate  pas- 
sed to  his  eldest,  "William  Randal,  the  present  Earl  of 
Antrim. 


THE  PARISH  OF 
DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS. 


THE  Parish  of  Dunloy  and  Clougli mills  consists  of  the 
western  side  of  the  civil  parish  of  Dunaghy  (the 
eastern  side  being  united  to  Glenravel.  See  Vol.  III. 
p.  455.)  Scotchomberbane  ;  the  grange  of  Dandermot; 
the  civil  parish  of  Killagan ;  the  townlands  of  Gruig ; 
Lislaban,  Ballynagabog,  Carnbuck,  and  part  of  Carnagall, 
belonging  to  the  civil  parish  of  Loughguile  ;  the  southern 
and  western  parts  of  the  civil  parish  of  Kilraghts ;  part  of 
Garryduff,  belonging  to  the  civil  parish  of  Ballymoney  ;  the 
townlands  of  Anticur,  Bellaghy,  Dromore,  Dtineany,  Dun- 
minning,  Glenbuck,  Killycowan,  Killycreen,  and  Killy- 
donnelly,  belonging  to  the  civil  parish  of  Rasharkin ;  and 
the  townlands  of  Ballymacaldrick,  Caldanagh,  Dunloy, 
Tullaghans,  and  TJnshinagh,  belonging  to  the  civil  parish  of 
Finvoy. 

Grange  of  Dundermot.  The  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas 
enters — "  the  church  of  Dundermot  is  worth  over  and 
above  service  ^  Mark."  At  the  Dissokition,  the  parish 
of  Dundermot  was  appropriate  to  the  Abbey  of  Kells ; 
it  is  probably  that  dependance  on  the  abbey  which  is 
expressed  by  the  word  Service.  The  Terrier  enters 
— •'  Capella  de  Dounedermint — a  quarter  glebe — its  the 
abbey  of  Kells  and  Sir  Randal  hath  it.  Proxies,  4/-  ; 
Refections,  4/- ;  Synodal  s,  2/."      The  entry   in  the  Ulster 


46  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

Visitation  Book  of  1622,  is  "  Grangia  de  Downe-dermond, 
no  walls  ever  kaowne  to  be  there — the  2nd  part  of  all  ye 
tithes  belonging  to  the  abbey  of  Kells  and  possessed  by  the 
Earl  of  Antrym,  the  third  part  possest  by  Mr.  Maxwell,  as 
belonging  to  his  chancellorship — a  small  thing  conteyning  a 
towne  and  a  half  of  land."  The  site  of  the  church  was  on 
the  hill  of  Drumnacross — '  the  hill  of  the  cross' — in  the 
townland  of  Drumakeely.  James  M'llmoil,  in  whose 
farm  it  is,  found  the  ancient  cemetery  about  fifty  perches 
south  of  his  dwelling-house.  The  church  stood  on  a  round 
hill,  the  base  of  which  is  washed  by  the  Clough  Water, 
which  bends  round  it,  and  is  here  crossed  by  stepping- 
scones  south  of  the  site  of  the  church.  A  Holy  Well  is 
east  of  the  site  of  the  church  and  near  the  Clough  Water. 
The  Holy  Water  font,  a  coarse  stone  two  feet  broad  and 
two  feet  long,  having  a  circular  basin  hollowed  into  it,  lies 
at  the  farm-house.  James  M'llmoyle  found  on  the  hill 
bronze  swords,  querns,  a  rub-stone  for  grinding  corn,  stone 
celts,  a  gold  ring,  an  ancient  horse-shoe,  beads,  and  bronze 
brooches.  Dundermot — '  the  fort  of  Derraod/  derives  its 
name  from  a  large  earthen  fort  which  overhangs  the  Clough 
Water  near  Glareyford  Bridge.  A  plan  and  description  of 
this  fort  are  given  in  Mason's  Parochial  Survey,  Vol.  I. 
It  is  encompassed  by  a  single  ditch  and  rampart.  In  general 
appearance  it  resembles  the  moats  of  Drumfane  and  Bally- 
dug. 

A  great  cairn,  which  stood  in  the  townland  of  Drunibaire, 
was  destroyed  in  the  year  1820.  It  is  described  as  having 
been  40  feet  in  diameter,  and  4  feet  in  height ;  the  circum- 
ference was  formed  by  a  circle  of  large  stones  about  three 
feet  high  set  close  together.  Among  the  stones  of  the  cairn 
and  near  the  circumference  several  earthen  urns  filled  with 


THE  PARISH  OF  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS.  47 

bones  and  ashes  were  found.  Each  urn,  it  was  said,  was 
capable  of  holding  a  gallon  ;  they  were  arranged  in  separate 
cists  formed  by  flag  stones.  Outside  the  circumference  of 
the  cairn  was  a  pavement  of  small  stones,  two  feet 
deep,  which  extended  from  it  about  twelve  feet.  Many 
spear  heads  and  arrow  heads  of  flint  were  found  in  and 
about  the  cairn.  About  forty  yards  to  the  east  of  the 
cairn  a  portion  of  a  paved  road  was  discovered.  There  is  an 
extensive  cave  in  Drumbaire  hill.  The  remains  of  an 
oblong  fort,  in  which  there  is  a  cave,  can  still  be  traced  in  the 
farm  of  Mr,  Mitchell  in  Carnbeg ;  the  site  of  the  fort  is  cut 
through  by  the  public  road.  About  the  year  1780,  two 
trumpets  of  bronze  were  found  in  Drumnaglea.  Three 
bronze  pocketed  celts  were  found  under  a  large  stone  in 
Ballyhutherland  ;  they  were  linked  together  by  a  chain 
which  passed  through  their  loops. 

Part  of  the  civil  parish  of  Dunaghy.  The  townland 
of  Eglish — '  the  church' — takes  its  name  from  the  churcli 
of  Dunaghy,  and  the  church  and  parish  are  named  from 
a  rath,  about  which  we  will  speak  hereafter.  In  the 
Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas,  "  the  church  of  Donachi"  was 
valued  at  £8  10s.  8d.  In  1435,  Mauritius  M'Umcadhan 
was  rector  of  the  parish  of  Dunchaidh  in  the  diocese  of 
Connor.  Register  of  Primate  Prene.  The  Terrier  enters, 
"  Ecclesia  de  Donncathe,  one  quarter  glebe.  Proxies,  20/- ; 
Refections,  20/;  Synodals,  2/-.''  The  Visitation  Book  of 
1622,  reports,  **  Ecclesia  de  Downaghee"  as  a  ruin  and  "  the 
equall  half  of  all  tithes  possesst  by  the  Earl  of  Antrym,  the 
other  possesst  by  the  arch-deacon  as  a  member  of  the  arch- 
deaconry." 

The  Statistical  Account  of  Dunaghy  in  Mason's  Parochial 
Survey,  says — "  A  fort,  very  remarkable  for  size,  stood  at  a 


48  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

low  piece  of  ground,  at  the  foot  of  a  large  hill,  in  Carnbeg, 
but  it  was  nearly  razed  about  three  years  since  (written  in 
1812) ;  it  was  in  diameter  420  feet,  in  circumference  1092, 
with  a  piece  of  burial-ground  on  the  S.E.  side  174  feet  long 
by  94  broad,  and  a  very  long  cave  inside.  In  digging  it  up, 
an  urn  was  found,  with  a  small  statue  and  a  cross  ;  one  of 
the  silly  fellows  assisting,  aj)prehensive,  that  if  preserved, 
the  statue  might  be  the  means  of  infecting  the  land  with 
idolatrous  worship,  dashed  it  to  pieces  against  a  stone.  The 
cross  I  saw  afterwards ;  the  perpendicular  part  was  about 
five  inches  long,  tapering  to  the  point,  with  a  ball  on  the 
top,  and  a  small  ring  through  it ;  it  appeared  to  be  made  of 
copper  and  silvered  over.  A  number  of  old  silver  coins 
was  also  found,  which  they  carried  off,  and  sold  at  Bally- 
mena." 

In  a  field  in  the  townland  of  Moneydiiff  there  was  an 
ancient  cemetery  which  is  now  under  tillage  ;  and  the  only 
evidence  of  its  existence  is  that  bones  and  portions  of  old 
coffins  have  been  dug  up  in  it 

Near  Cloiigh  and  in  the  townland  of  Ballycregagh  there 
was  up  till  the  year  1833,  an  earthen  rath  of  great  extent 
called  the  Fort  of  Dunaghy,  which  gave  name  to  the  parish, 
and  the  Tuogh  of  Magheradunagh — (Alachaire  Duin-Eaclulach 
— '  the  plain  of  the  fort  of  Eochaidh — (pronounced  Eochy) — 
the  district  in  which  the  parish  was  situated.  Dr.  O'Donovan 
supposed  this  place  to  be  the  Dun-Eachdach,  at  which 
Muircheartach,  King  of  the  Kinel-0  wen,  halted  for  a  night, 
when  on  his  celebrated  circuit  of  all  Ireland,  in  the  year 
041.     Muircheartach's  bard  sang — 

"  We  were  a  night  at  Dun-Eachdach, 
With  the  white-handed  warlike  band  ; 
We  carried  the  King  of  Uladh  with  us 
In  the  great  eircuit  we  made  of  all  Ireland." 


THE  PARISH  OF  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS.  49 

It  seems,  however,  much  more  likely  that  Dim-Eachdach  of 
the  poem  is  the  rath  of  Duneight,  near  Lisburn,  as  the  next 
day's  march  brought  tlie  King  to  Magh-Rath  (Moira.)  See 
Vol.  II.  p.  247. 

To  the  north  of  the  village  of  Clough  are  the  ruins  of  a 
castle  called  Old  Stone,  or  Clough-maghera-donaghie,  which, 
according  to  tradition,  once  belonged  to  the  MacQuillins  and 
passed  with  their  other  possessions  to  the  MacDonnells.  The 
word  Clough  is  frequently  used  in  local  names  in  the 
counties  of  Down  and  Antrim  to  express  a  castle  ;  in  this 
instance  it  is  translated  into  Stone,  and  the  adjective  Old 
jjtefixed.  The  castle  stood  on  a  very  high  rock,  which  over- 
looks the  village  and  all  the  adjacent  country  to  a  considerable 
distance  ;  there  is  a  deep  cut  through  the  body  of  the  rock, 
from  one  side  to  the  other,  about  nine  or  ten  feet  broad, 
which  divides  it  into  two  equal  parts.  On  the  south  end, 
adjoining  the  village,  the  ground  plot  is  forty  paces  long  by 
thirty-four  broad  ;  on  that  the  castle  stood.  The  walls  are 
now  nearly  erased,  partly  it  is  supposed,  for  the  stones,  and 
j)artly  for  the  oli  mortar  for  manure.  It  was  evidently  a 
place  of  great  strength  being  surrounded  by  a  wall  on  the 
top,  and  a  deep  foss  on  the  outside.  It  appears  to  be  about 
25  feet  above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  ground  ;  and  the 
face  of  the  rock  on  each  side  is  quite  perpendicular.  See 
Mason's  Parochial  Survey,  Vol.  I.  In  the  letter  of  Gerot 
Fleming  describing  the  march  of  Shane  O'Neill,  Earl  of 
Tyrone,  in  April,  1556,  it  is  mentioned,  that  the  earl  after 
forcing  the  pass  of  Knockboy,  near  Broughshane,  camped 
that  night  at  "  Cloghdonaghy,"  and  on  the  following  morning 
marched  to  "  Owderick,"  ('  the  red  cave  ;'  the  castle  at  Red 
Bay.)  See  Down  and  Connor,  Vol.  III.  p.  455.  The  castle 
of   Clough,  which    then    belonged    to    a   gentleman  named 


50  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Donnell    Gorm   MacDoanell,   was  seized  during   the   early- 
part  of  1641   war  by   Archibald  Stewart,  the  agent  of  Lord 
Antrim;  to  it  the  Protestants  of  the  district  flocked  after  the 
surprise  of  Portnaw  carrying  with  them  all  their  valuables. 
The  castle  under  the  command  of  Walter  Kennedy   was 
soon  attacked  by  the   Irish,  under   the   celebrated   Alaster 
MacCoU  MacDonnell,   Art    Oge   O'Neill    (ancestor  of  the 
Shane's  Castle  family),  and   others.       Kennedy  replied  to 
Art  Oge's  summons  that  "  he  would  never  surrender   to   an 
O'Neill  the   castle  that  belonged  to  a  MacDonnell."     This 
reply  so  pleased  Alaster  that  he  swore  by  "  the  cross  on  his 
sword,  if  the  castle  surrendered  the  garrison   and   the  non- 
combatants  might  march  out  carrying  with   them   all   their 
fifFects.     The  castle  surrendered  after  firing  two  shots.     The 
terms    of   the   surrender    were    faithfully    carried    out,    as 
far  as   MacDonnell  was  concerned,  but  it   is  said    on  the 
authority  of  the  depositions  preserved  in  Trinity  College, 
Dublin,  that  a  number  of  women  and  children  on  their  way 
towards   Lame,  or  Carrickfergus,  were   murdered  near  the 
Ravel  Water,  by   a   mob  headed   by  'one  Toole   MacHugh 
O'Hara.     The  mobs  on  both   sides  at  this  terrible   period 
were  most  bloodthirsty,  and  perpetrated  deeds,  to  which  we 
must  look   back  with   liorror   and   indignation.      After  the 
capture  of  Clough,  Sir  James  MacDonnell  (the  grandson  of 
the  Sir  James  M'Donnell,  of  Dunluce,  who  was  poisoned  in 
1601),  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Archibald  Stewart  who 
must  then  have  been  in  Coleraine.      See  HilVs  MacDonnells, 
The  letter,   which  is  preserved  among  the   Depositions  in 
Trinity   College,  testifies    to    the   high  and    honourable  in- 
tentions of  the  leaders  of  the  insurrection  : — 

"  Coosen  Archebald — I  receaved  your  Letter,  and  to  tell 
the  truth,  I  was  ever  of  that  opinion,  and   soe  was  all  these 


THK  PARISH  OP  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS.  51 

gentilmen,  that  your  own  selfe  had  noe  ...  in  you  ; 
but  certainly  I  had  not  begun  when  I  did,  I  and  all  these 
gentilmen,  with  my  wiffe  and  children,  had  been  utterly 
destroyed,  of  which  I  got  intelligence  from  one  that  heard 
the  plott  alayinge.  And  those  captayns  of  yours  (whom 
you  may  call  rather  cowboyes),  were  every  daye  vexing  our- 
selves and  our  tenants,  of  purpose  to  picke  quarrells,  which 
noe  flesh  was  able  to  Indure ;  and  judge  you  whether  I 
had  reason  to  prevent  such  mischefe.  And  I  vow  to  the 
Almightie,  had  they  not  forct  me,  as  they  did  many  others 
besides  me  that  would  rather  hang  then  goe  on  as  they  did, 
I  would  stick  as  firm  to  your  side  as  any  of  yourselves  ; 
though  I  confesse  it  would  be  the  worse  thing  fo  r  mee  and 
mine  that  ever  I  sawe.  To  speake  to  you  really  the  truth 
and  the  true  information  of  the  whole  kiugdome — upon  my 
credit  I  nowe  do  it.  All  the  whole  kingdome  in  generall 
are  of  our  side  except  Dublin,  whoe  hath  2,000  men  about 
it,  in  leager  of  it,  if  it  bee  not  now  taken ;  DrogheJa  whoe 
hath  1,600  men  about  it,  and  are  these  ten  days  past  eatinge 
of  horse  flesh  ;  Carrickfergus,  Coulraine,  and  my  Lord 
Clandeboyes,  and  my  Lord  of  Ardes.  This  is  the  truth  on 
my  creditt ;  Ballemeanagh,  Antrim,  and  all  the  garrisons 
between  this  and  Carrickfergus  are  fled  to  Carrickfergus, 
soe  that  it  is  but  a  follie  to  resist  what  God  pleaseth  to 
happen.  But  certainly  they  will  have  all  Ireland  present- 
lie,  whatever  time  they  keepe  it.  You  may  truely  inform 
my  friendes  in  Coulraine  that  I  would  wish  they  .... 
and  if  they  yielde  me  the  towne,  it  shall  bee  goode  for  them 
and  me,  for  the  booty  shall  be  myne,  and  they  shall  be  sure 
of  goode  quartrs,  for  I  will  sende  for  all  the  Kaghlin  boates 
to  Portrush,  and  from  thens  send  all  the  people  away  into 
Scotlande,  which,  if  it  bee  not  done  before  Sir  Felim  and 


52  DIOCESE   OF   CONKOE. 

his  army  comes  to  the  towne,  who  comes  the  next  week 
,  thousand  men  and  piece  of  avLillerj,  all  my  desire 
of  doeinge  their  goodwill  be  to  noe  purpose,  therefore  sende 
mee  word  what  you  doe  therein.  As  for  both  your  houses 
they  shall  bee  safe  and  soe  should  all  the  houses  in  the 
country,  if  they  would  be  persuaded  by  mee.  The  Oldstone 
has  rendered  mee  and  all  they  within  had  quarters  ;  onely 
the  Clandeboyes  souldiers  and  the  two  regiments  from  beyond 
the  Ban  were  a  little  greedy  for  pillaginge  which  could  not 
bee  healpt.  As  for  killing  of  women  none  of  my  souldiers 
dare  doe  it  for  his  life,  but  the  common  people  that  are  not 
under  rule  doth  it  in  spight  of  our  teeth.  But  your  people, 
they  killed  of  women  and  children  about  3  score.  My  lord 
and  lady  are  gone  to  Slain  to  whom  I  have  sent ;  tell  my 
bror.  Hill  and  Mr.  Barwicke  that  their  people  are  all  iu 
good  health,  but  ...  in  my  own  company,  I  desyre 
you  not  to  stirr  out  of  that  till  I  be  neere  you  myselfe,  for 
feare  you  should  fall  in  the  hands  of  the  seaven  hundred 
I  have  in  the  lower  part  of  the  oountie,  whoe  would  give 
you  no  quarter  at  all ;  but  when  I  have  settled  thinges  here, 
you  may  come  to  me  yourself  and  your  dearest  friends  . 
to  transport  them  with  the  rest  into  Scotland.  As  for 
goinge  against  the  kinge,  wee  will  dye  sooner,  or  my  Lord 
Antrim  either,  but  their  only  Aim  is  to  have  their  ileligion 
settled,  and  every  one  his  owne  antient  inheritance.  Thus 
wishinge  you  to  take  my  counsell,  whiche  I  proteste  to  God 
I  will  give  you  reallie  as  to  myselfe  and  having  the  hope  of 
your  beleivinge  mee  hereinn  I  reste  your  verie  loveinge 
Coussen  still. 

"Jamks  M'Doxxell. 
"From  the   Catholic  Campc  at   Oldstowne,  the   11th    of 
January,  1641." 


THE  PARISH  OF  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS.  53 

Mr.  Hill  in  his  learned  and  impartial  work,  The 
MacDonnells  of  Atitrim,  says — "  In  truth  the  only  objects 
the  Irish  had  in  view,  as  explained  by  Sir  James  MacDonnell 
and  others,  and  as  admitted  by  many  of  the  opposing  party, 
were  to  expel  the  Scottish  and  English  settlers  from  the 
lands  in  Ulster  which  had  formerly  belonged  to  themselves 
(the  Irish) ;  and  also  to  free  themselves  from  the  oppression 
of  those  penal  la'vs  which  had  bowed  them  to  the  >ery  dust, 
and  which  neither  they  nor  their  fathers  were  able  to  bear. 
Throtighout  every  corner  of  Ulster,  with  a  few  rare  ex- 
ceptions, the  Irish  had  been  swept  from  the  arable  lands — 
from  their  own  green  fields,  fertile  straths,  sheltered  valleys 
— and  doomed  to  live  among  the  bogs  and  morasses,  or  on 
the  mountain  sides.  We  learn  from  Sir  James  MacDonnell 
that  the  Scottish  settlers  in  the  Route,  on  being  expelled 
from  their  lands,  were  expected  to  return  to  Scotland 
through  the  several  sea-ports  at  hand ;  and  the  humane 
leader  offered  to  provide  means  of  transport  for  them,  rather 
than  that  the  Protestants  should  perish  in  such  numbers  at 
Coleraine. "  It  is  also  to  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  Scottish 
and  English  settlers  were  then  not  forty  years  located  in 
this  country. 

A  standing  stone,  called  the  Butter  Stone,  stood  a  mile 
east  of  the  village  of  Clough  ;  it  was  eight  feet  high,  but  in 
the  year  1825  some  men  in  a  drunken  frolic  overturned  and 
broke  it.  There  are  two  small  standing  stones  in  Carnbeg, 
which  are  on  a  line  with  the  Bulloch's  Track  and  Giant's 
Finger  Stone  in  the  parish  of  Portglenone.  There  formerly 
stood  on  Dunaghy  Eort  a  standing  stone  three  feet  high, 
but  it  was  broken  to  pieces  many  years  ago.  This  is  pro- 
bably the  stone  which  once  stood  in  the  street  of  Clough,  in 
front  of  the  former  residence  of  the  rectors  of   Dunaghy, 


54  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

until  it  was  removed,  according  to  the  statement  in  the 
Statistical  Survey,  by  Mr.  Rogers,  and  placed  on  Dunaghy- 
fort.  A  very  conspicuous  standing  stone  is  in  Omberbane, 
on  the  road  leading  from  the  Clough  and  Newtown  Crommelin 
road  to  Cloughmills.  This  stone  is  6  feet  high,  2|^  feet 
broad,  and  1  foot  4  inches  thick.  A  circular  paved  hearth 
having  on  it  the  remains  of  ashes  and  marks  of  fire  was 
found,  in  digging  to  the  depth  of  thi-ee  feet,  at  the  foot  of  this 
stone.  About  the  year  1829,  William  Alexander  removed 
a  cairn  which  stood  at  the  north  end  of  his  house  in  Omber- 
bane ;  he  found  in  it  an  urn  capable  of  holding  about  three 
pints,  and  "  a  stone  with  a  hole  in  it ;''  human  bones  were 
also  found  in  this  cairn.  In  the  same  townland  there  was 
also  another  cairn,  which  was  removed  by  Henry  Percival 
on  whose  farm  it  was.*     See  Ordnance  Memoir,  M.S. 

In  the  townland  of  Broughanore  there  is,  along  the  side  a 
stream,  a  very  ancient  and  disused  graveyard  called  Killagan, 
which  gives  name  to  the  civil  parish.  It  is'^now  under  culti- 
vation and  is  only  recognizable  by  its  rising  a  little  above 

*  In  1812  Mr.  Strittle  was  proprietor  of  Eglish,  Clough,  Craig- 
faddoch,  Galdanagh,  and  Craigfad  ;  J.  Stewart  Moore,  of  Druma- 
grove,  Glenleslie,  Drumnaglea,  and  Frosses  ;  Hugh  Montgomery,  of 
Ballyboggy,  Ballynamaddy,  and  part  of  Tullykittagh  ;  Alexander 
Allen,  of  Kinflea  and  JMagheraboy  ;  M.  Gage,  of  Ballycraigagh,  and 
Artnacrea.  The  representatives  of  Lord  Antrim,  of  Carrowcowan, 
and  Legnamannagh  ;  Ham.  O'Hara,  of  Tullaghbane,  Moneyduff, 
Carnbeg,  Carnmore,  Killyree,  Ballyreagh,  and  Inshamph  ;  T. 
Dickson,  of  Limavallaghan  ;  Alexander  Davidson,  of  Craigdunloof, 
Doonbought,  Legagrane,  Evishacrow,  and  Tuftarney  ;  Robert  Smith, 
of  Cargan,  and  Dungonnell  ;  J.  Gregg,  of  Tullynewy  ;  Samuel  Allen, 
of  Doogaree  ;  A.  Mitchell,  of  Farranacushog  ;  A  Hunter,  of  Omer- 
bane  ;  A.  Duffin,  of  Rosedermot  ;  Messrs.  Staples  and  Caulfield,  of 
Ballyhuthcrland,  and  Cornark  ;  Mr.  Reid,  of  Dundermot  ;  and  \V. 
Burley,  of  Antchill.  There  were  forty-five  proprietois  in  fee-simple, 
not  one  of  whom  it  was  believed  held  immediately  under  the  Antrim 


THE  PARISH  OF  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS.  55 

the  rest  of  the  field.  It  contains  about  a  rood,  but  it  was 
once  much  larger,  and  was  surrounded  by  an  ancient  circular 
fosse,  all  traces  of  which  have  long  since  disappeared.  The 
church  of  Killagan  is  not  entered  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope 
Nicholas ;  in  the  Terrier  it  is  entered  "  Ecclesia  de  Killa- 
grene,  half  a  townland  glebe,  pays  Proxies,  8/- ;  Refectidns, 
8/-  ;  Synodals,  2/-."  The  Visitatio7i  Book,  of  1622,  says— 
"  Ecclesia  de  Killagan  uttei'ly  decayed."  There  is  a  rath 
surrounded  by  a  foss  about  50  perches  beyond  the  stream. 

In  the  townland  of  Cloughmills  there  is  a  holy  well 
called  Tubberdoney,  at  which  there  was  formerly  a  stone 
having  an  indentation  said  to  be  the  impression  of  a  saint's 
knee.  There  is  a  standing  stone  now  overturned  in  Lough- 
hill  ;  it  is  4  feet  long,  2  feet  4  inches  broad,  and  1  foot  4 
inches  thick. 

A  fortified  island,  perhaps,  a  crannog,  in  a  lough  called 
Lough  Hardwarnes,  is  entered  in  Speede's  Map  of  Ulster, 
published  in  1610.  A  very  large  townland  named  Loghere- 
hardvereins,  is  entered  in  the  Down  Survey.  There  is  a 
tradition  that  Loughill  was  formerly  named  Lough  Ardverin; 
but  as  neither  Loughill,  nor  Mount  Hamilton,  is  entered  in 
the  Down  Survey,  both  these  townland s  seem  to  have  been 
included  in  Logherehardvereins.     No  traces  of  the  fortified 

family,  most  of  them  paid  their  chiefries  to  Mr.  O'Hara,  a  few  to 
Mr.  Montgomery.  The  lands  were  purchased  originally  in  quarter  and 
half  quarter  lands,  the  largest  about  80  acres.  The  deeds  of  these 
lands  were  all  made  out  in  the  year  1735,  by  Alexander  5th,  Earl 
of  Antrim. — Statistical  Survty.  A  part  of  the  lands  of  Dundermot 
was  occupied  towards  the  end  of  the  17th  century  by  a  family  named 
Stewart,  to  which  Dr.  Stewart,  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor,  from 
1740,  till  1750,  belonged.  On  his  tombstone  in  the  north-east 
corner  of  the  Franciscan  Church  of  Bunamargy  is  inscribed  :  "  Here 
lyeth  the  bodies  of  Captain  Stewart,  of  Dundermod,  and  family,  and 
Francis  Stewart,  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor. " 


56  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

island  Lave  been  discovered.  It  is  probable  that  this  is 
"  the  island  of  Lough  Burran."  See  p.  15,  taken  A.D.  1544, 
from  M'Quillin,  by  O'Donnell,  which  Dr.  Reeves,  Eccl.  Antiq. 
p.  286,  supposes  to  be  Lough-a-verrie,  in  the  parish  of 
Ballintoy.  If  there  was  an  island  on  that  lough,  it  does  not 
seed  to  have  been  important,  as  it  is  not  entered  in  Speede's 
map. 

In  the  townland  of  Kilmandil  there  was,  until  about  50 
years  ago,  a  disused  graveyard,  which  contained  about  eight 
square  perches,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  circular  fosse,  like 
that  of  a  fort.     It  was  called  Killmandil,  the  last  interment 
in  it  was  that  of  a  child,  about   130   years   ago.     A  paved 
causeway  extended  from  north   to  south   along  its  western 
side  ;  this  was  removed  about   1834,  except  a  part  of  it, 
which  is  sunk  under  the  soil.     At  the  distance  of  about  40 
perches  west  of  the  graveyard,  the   farmer  found  a  quantity 
of  loose  stones  and  pieces   of  burnt  timber,  apparently  the 
remains  of  a  building  that  had  been  destroyed  by  fire.     On 
the  steep  slope  of  the  hill  on  the  north-east  side  of  the  field 
he  found  a  flight  of  thirty  steps   made  of  undressed  stones, 
leading  from   the  stream  to   the  ruined  building.     At  the 
bottom  of  the  field  and  along  the  flat  ground  adjoining  the 
stream  were  to  be  seen  the  remains  of  an  ancient  mill  i-ace 
nearly  filled  up.      Water-worn  stones,  in  which  holes  were 
drilled,  and   many   white  pebbles   apparently  from  the  sea- 
shore   were  found  in   the  ancient  graveyard.     There  is  an 
artificial  cave   of  the  usual  construction  under  the  field,  in 
which  is  the  site   of  the  graveyard,  but  its  entrance  is   in 
the  adjoining  field.     It  is  80  feet  in  length,  and  contains 
four  rooms,  each  room  is  about  20  feet  long,  3  feet  broad, 
and  from  4  to  5  feet  high  ;  these  rooms  are  connected  by 
little  square  passages.     One   of  the   roofing  stones  of  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS.  57 

first  room  is  a  half  of  a  mill-stone  about  8  inches  in 
thickness  and  4  feet  in  diameter ;  it  was  evidently  placed  in 
its  present  position  when  the  cave  was  constructed.  On 
each  side  of  this  room  are  two  small  openings  each  communi- 
cating with  what  were  intended  originally  either  for  air-holes 
or  chimneys,  narrow  cavities  scooped  out  of  the  hard  ground ^ 
but  not  lined  with  stones.  At  present  the  openings,  owing 
to  the  earth  having  fallen  in,  do  not  reach  the  surface.  The 
cave  extends  from  south-west  to  north-east.  The  farmer,  in 
whose  farm  it  is,  stated  that  it  extended  formerly  80  feet 
farther  towards  the  north-west.  See  Ordna/ice  Survey 
Memoir,  M.S. 

Oivilparish  ofKilraghts.  In  Drumaqueraii  there  is  a  remark- 
able standing  stone,  called  "  Old  Pati'ick  3"  it  is  about  200 
yards  west  of  a  bye  road,  but  it  has  been  removed  from  its 
original  position,  and  is  now  standing  in  a  ditch  at  a  little 
distance  from  the  bank  on  which  it  originally  stood.  It 
has  on  both  its  east  and  west  sides  crosses  formed  by  the 
intersection  of  circles.  There  is  a  standing  stone  in  the 
townland  of  Lisboy,  20  yards  east  of  the  Ballymena  and 
Ballymoney  road  ;  it  is  a  three  sided  block,  5  feet  by  3|  feet, 
by  3|  feet.  In  the  same  townland  there  is  a  rath  of  the 
ordinary  shape,  and  39  feet  in  diameter,  but  at  the  eastern 
side  of  it  thei-e  is  the  entrance  to  a  cave,  the  interior  height 
of  which  is  from  5  feet  4  inches  to  4  feet.  There  is 
another  cave  in  Lisboy,  the  height  of  which  is  only  3  feet. 
Civil  parish  of  Finvoy.  In  the  townland  of  Dunloy,  and 
at  a  short  distance  to  the  east  of  the  Ballymoney  and 
Ballymena  road,  there  are,  in  the  farm  of  Samuel 
Finton,  the  remains  of  what  is  termed  a  Giant's  Grave. 
There  was  here  formerly  an  ancient  construction,  con- 
sisting of  six  standing  stones  situated  three  on  each  side 


58  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

in  two  parallel  lines,  these  supported  three  flag  stones, 
laid  close  to  each  other.  In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  this 
monument,  there  is  another  of  circular  construction,  in  the 
townland  of  Ballymacaldrack  ;  it  is  situated  in  a  rocky  field 
near  the  old  chapel,  and  in  the  farm  of  John  Dooey.  Both 
these  monuments  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  stone 
house  of  Tycloy,  in  the  parish  of  Skerry  ;  each  of  them  con- 
sisted of  a  square  platform  of  small  and  large  stones  piled 
up,  at  one  end  of  which  was  a  number  of  large  stones  sup 
porting  flag  stones.  At  the  distance  of  a  few  fields  from  the 
one  in  Ballymacaldrack  there  was  formerly  another  of 
similar  construction,  but  it  is  now  destroyed.  In  the  same 
townland  a  little  south  of  the  "  Giants  Grave"  there  is  a 
cave  in  the  farm  of  Daniel  Dowd.  In  Dunloy  there  is  an 
earthen  rath  of  ordinary  form,  called  Carvadoon  fort,  which  is 
surrounded  by  a  ditch  20  feet  deep.  In  this  rath  there  is  a 
cave  28  feet  long,  3i  wide,  and  5  high,  but  very  badly  built ; 
it  has  an  antechamber  12  feet  long  at  right  angles  to  the 
main  cave.  Some  silver  coins  were  found,  about  1825,  in 
the  rampart  of  this  rath,  and  in  1831,  many  silver  coins 
were  found  under  a  flagstone  in  a  natural  island,  called 
Culnavey  Island,  in  the  bog  of  Dunloy. 

There  is  a  very  remarkable  graveyard  upon  the  sloping 
side  of  Dunloy  hill,  in  the  townland  of  Ballymacaldrack  ;  it 
at  present  contains  about  half  an  acre,  Irish  measure,  and  is 
enclosed  by  a  loose  stone  wall  and  thorn  hedge.  It  was 
formerly  surrounded  by  an  ancient  ditch,  or  fosse,  in  the 
form  of  a  circle  which  contained  within  its  circumference  a 
full  acre.  Forty  yards  of  the  ditch  was  in  existence  up  till 
1841.  It  was  fifteen  feet  wide,  and  at  an  average  six  feet 
deep  in  the  middle.  Formerly  the  space,  between  the  spot, 
now  occupied  as  a  graveyard,  and  the  circumference  of  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS.  59 

area  enclosed  by  the  ditch,  was  divided  by  ancient  founda- 
tions, or  fences,  from  two  to  four  yards  broad,  made  of 
earth  and  stones,  and  overgrown  with  moss.  They  divided 
the  ground  into  little  plots,  at  an  average  twenty  yards  in 
area  ;  they  are  now  all  x'emoved,  but  a  little  more  than  a 
hundred  years  ago  they  were  untouched.  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion that  they  belonged  to  a  monastery.  Formerly  there 
was  a  cave  at  the  northern,  and  another  at  the  southern 
side  of  the  enclosure  ;  but  they  have  been  long  since 
destroyed.  The  graveyard  is  at  the  north-east  side  of  the 
ancient  enclosed  space,  and  is  called  Caldernagh — "  Old 
graveyard"  (Joyce.)  It  is  said  that  there  was  formerly  a 
large  standing  stone  at  each  side  of  its  entrance.  Formerly 
only  the  bodies  of  infants  were  interred  in  it ;  the  interment 
of  adults  only  recommenced  about  1760.  The  names  on  the 
grave-stones  are — O'Neill,  Molley,  Deane,  Scullion,  O'Kane, 
and  Carnaghan.  The  graveyard  contains  2  roods  statute 
measure,  and  is  exclusively  used  by  Catholics.  The  district 
around  Dunloy  is  locally  named  Killymurris,  and  in  the 
reign  of  James  I.  it  formed  the  "  Tuogh  of  Killimorrie."* 

*  The  writer  of  the  Statiscal  Surveij,  says — "As  to  the  propeity 
in  the  parish  of  Finvoy,  the  whole  is  probably  debenture  lands  (given 
as  payment  of  debentures  to  CromweUian  oificers),  except  Killimuris, 
which  belongs  to  the  Antrim  family,  and  is  set  in  perpetuity  to 
others.  The  greater  part  was  granted  by  Cromwell  to  his  officers, 
and  is  now  in  the  hands  of  different  landlords,  none  of  whom  (save 
Stephen  Holland,  Esq.,  Carrireagh),  are  descendants  of  the  original 
grantees."  In  the  Down  Survey  and  Book  of  Distribution,  the  entire 
parish  is  returned  as  having  belonged  to  the  Earl  of  Antrim  ;  but 
under  the  column,  "Persons  to  whom  distributed,"  he  is  entered 
only  for  "2  quarters  of  Dunloye,  Gallennagh,  1  quarter,  the 
Lower  of  Ballmacalient,  2  quarters  of  the  same,  and  another  part 
of  the  same,  1  quarter  of  Gallenagh,  a  part  of  Knockans,  1 
quarter  of  Unsinagh,  and  a  part  of  the  same."  In  the  Book  of 
Distribution,  the  lands  not  distributed  to  the  Earl  of  Antrim,  were 


00  DIOCESE    OF    COXNOR. 

Civil  2>c(,rish  of  RcisharTcin.  In  the  last  century,  the  last 
Lord  Slane  resided  in  the  townland  of  Anticur,  where  his 
mansion  may  still  be  seen  in  tolerable  good  order,  being 
tenanted  by  one  "Wallace,  a  farmer.  William  Fleming,  nine- 
teenth Baron  Slane,  was  married  to  Anne,  daughter  of  Sir 
Randal  MucDonnell,  first  Earl  of  Antrim.  Their  grandson, 
Christopher,  took  the  side  of  James  II.,  and  thereby  lost 
the  estate  of  Slane.  On  his  death  in  1728,  without  male 
issue,  William  Fleming,  another  grandson  of  Lady  Anne 
MacDonnell,  assumed  the  title  of  twenty-third  Baron  of 
Slane.  This  William  resided  at  Anticur,  on  a  property 
which  he  had  obtained  from  the  Antrim  family.  He 
was  interred  in  the  Antrim  vault,  at  Bunamargy.  Lord 
William  left  one  son,  Christopher,  who  was  known  as 
the  twenty-fourth  Lord  Slane,  and  died  in  1772.  Mr. 
Francis  N.  Lett,  of  Clough,  in  a  communication  printed 
in  the  Kilkenny  Archicological  Journal,  for  1859,  says 
— that  the  only  daughter  of  the  last  Lord  Slane,  married 
one  Felix  Connor,  from  the  County  Donegal.  After  the 
death  of  her  father  and  husband,  her  eldest  son  having  gone 
abroad,  Mrs.  O'Connor  sold  her  residence,  and  took  up  her 
abode  at  Craigs,  in  the  parish  of  Finboy,  whence  she  and 
her  family  emigrated  to  America,  where  they  died.  The 
executors  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Leslie,  advertised  to  sell  in  Belfast, 
on  the  17th  of  September,  1847,  the  tour  Quarterlands 
of  Anticur.  containing  upwards  of  9uO  acres,  subject  to  a 
chief  rent  of  £136  123.  3|d.,  and  held  for  three  lives,  with 

distributed  to  Samuel  Hill,  John  Galland,  Lord  Masserene,  and 
Richard  Holland.  The  Quit  Rent  Book,  in  the  Public  Record  Office, 
gives  in  addition  to  Lord  Antrim,  the  following  as  owners,  in  IGGO,  of 
lands  in  the  parish  of  Finvoy  : — Mr.  Samuel  Hill,  Captain  John 
Galland,  Captain  John  Barrington,  Mr.  Forrest,  Carrol  Bolton,  Esq., 
and  Captain  Bryan  Mulhallan. 


THE  PARISH  OF  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS.  61 

a  covenant  of  perpetual  renewal   on  payment  of  a  fine  of 
£7  19s.  8id.  on  the  fall  of  each  life. 

Near  a  flow-bog  in  the  townland  of  Glenbuck  there  is  a 
rath  of  the  usual  form,  and  72  feet  in  diameter,  which  is 
called  Pharoa's  Fort. 

In  the  townland  of  Dnneany, — '  the  fort  of  the  assembly, 
or  of  the  fair,'  at  the  distance  of  a  few  fields  from  the  road 
between  Rashai-kin  and  C lough,  there  is  a  graveyard  con- 
taining only  about  six  square  perches,  called  Lovestown 
graveyard.  For  many  years  past  only  the  poor,  who  were 
not  able  to  pay  the  sexton's  fees,  were  interred  in  it,  though 
formerly  it  was  the  burial-place  for  all  the  eastern  part  of 
the  civil  parish  of  Rasharkin,  There  are  in  it  three  grave- 
stones, the  oldest  of  which  commemorates  one  Love,  who 
died  A.D.  16  .  .  .  The  old  church  stood,  it  is  said,  at  the 
distance  of  '200  yards  to  the  south  of  the  cemetery,  in  a 
field  which  is  in  the  farm  of  John  Hyndman.  This  field,  it 
is  said,  was  formerly  in  the  townland  of  Killydonnelly,  but 
by  some  alteration  of  the  boundaries  of  the  townlands  it  is 
now  in  Duneany.  In  the  same  townland  there  is  a  standing 
stone  about  fifty  paces  west  of  the  road  leading  from  Bally- 
money  to  Ballymena.  There  is  a  tradition  that  a  great  fair 
was  held  at  that  stone,  until  about  150  years  ago.  There 
was  a  cave  in  the  vicinity  of  Lovestown  graveyard. 

In  the  townland  of  Killycreen  there  was  a  graveyard 
in  Mr.  Robert  Dickey's  farm.  "  It  is  in  the  centre  of  a 
large  field,  and  not  surrounded  by  any  fence,  and  contains 
about  13  square  perches  Cunningham  measure,  but  it 
was  formei-ly  much  larger,  the  last  interment  in  it  was 
that  of  Una  Shiel,  who  died  about  1740.  It  is 
said  that  the  church  stood  50  yards  to  the  east  of  the 
cemetery  at  a  place  where  a  rectangular  hollow    formerly 


62  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

marked  its  site." — Ordnance  Memoir.  The  graveyard  is 
now  completely  subjected  to  tillage  ;  its  site  occupied  the 
summit  of  a  gentle  hill  behind  Mr.  Dickey's  house  ;  near  it 
is  an  old  well,  called  Kilcreen  Well.  The  old  churches  of 
Kilcreen  and  Duneany,  or  Killydonnelly,  were  at  a  consider- 
able distance  from  the  cemeteries,  because  those  cemeteries 
were  only  small  portions  of  the  extensive  original  cemeteries 
which  once  surrounded  tlie  churches.  The  ancient  Irish 
interred  in  stone-lined  graves  which  only  admitted  of  one 
interment  in  each  grave,  and  consequently  their  cemeteries 
soon  became  of  very  great  extent. 

In  the  townland  of  Dromore,''^  which  adjoins  Kilcreen, 
there  is  a  standing  stone  in  the  farm  of  Samuel  Adams,  it 
is  about  four  feet  high,  and  has,  on  its  eastern  side,  a  large 
cross,  above  which  are  letters,  seemingly  I.H.S.  In  the 
same  townland  there  is  an  earthen  rath  of  107  feet  diameter 
on  the  western  side  of  which  there  is  an  artificial  cave  ;  it 
runs  north  and  south,  and  is  24  feet  long.  Caves  were  very 
numerous  throughout  the  parish,  but  they  are  now  nearly  all 
destroyed.  This  seems  to  have  been  the  Dromore,  where 
the  Lord  Deputy,  the  Earl  of  Sussex,  encamped  on  the  13th 
of  July,  1556.  On  Sunday,  July  12th,  he  removed  from  a 
place  two  milesnorth  of  Carrickfergus,and"camped  that  night 
at  Meckellah,  by  a  river  called  Unna  .  .  .  and  an  old 
church  or  abbev,  called  Monastery  Ikallo  (Monastery  of  Kells) 
being  of  Clan  Phelim  Bachahe  M'Hue  M'Phelim  Bachach. 
Monday  the  13th  of  July,  my  Lord  Deputy  removed  from 
Meckellah  (Magh  Kellagh,  "  plain  of  Kells"),  and  camped 
at  Drummore,  by  a  river  called  Owen  Lagran,  in  the  country 
of  M'Guillan,  called  the  Route."  The  Owen  Lagran  seems 
to  the  name,  which  the  Athlone  Pursuivant  at  Arms,  who 
wrote  the  Progress  of  the  Lord  Deputy,  gave  to  the  Main 


THE  PARISH  OF  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHxMILLS,  63 

Water,  calling  it  Owen  Lagran,  wliich  probably  is  a  mistake 
of  the  transcriber  for  Owen  Lagan,  "the  river  Lagan,"  be- 
cause it  flows  from  the  parish  of  Killagan.  On  the  followiug 
night  he  camped  at  Coleraine,  after  passing  through  Balle- 
monin  (Bally money.) 

*  In  1668,  King  Charles  II.  made  a  grant  of  Glaskil  and  Craig 
estate  to  John  Shaw,  Esq.,  who  seems  to  have  assigned  the  grant  to 
John  Houston.  This  John  Houston  made  his  will,  on  the  LSth  of 
January,  1734,  and  died  leaving  two  daughters,  one  married  to  Rev. 
Thomas  Staples,  and  one  to  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Charles  Caultield.  On 
the  9th  of  March,  1749,  Alexander,  Earl  of  Antrim,  made  to  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Staples  and  the  Hon.  and  the  Rev.  Charles  Caulfield,  in  con- 
sideration of  £3,000,  a  fee-farm  grant  of  Luesgavanagh,  Skerryravel, 
and  Ballynutherland,  in  the  Tuogh  of  Oldstoue  (in  1812,  Cornark, 
Skerryravel,  and  Ballynutherland,  in  the  civil  parish  of  Dunaghy, 
were  possessed  by  Messrs.  Staples  and  Caulfield),  Drumore,  Drum- 
cross,  Kiltudaragh,  Dorreen,  Ballyaghan,  Kilcrone,  Dunmining,  Killy- 
(|uan,  and  Killydonally,  in  the  barony  of  Kilconway,  An  advertis- 
ment  appeared  in  the  Belfast  News-Letter,  of  July  3rd,  1772, 
in  which  one  undivided  moiety  of  the  following  lands  was  offered 
for  sale — Skerry,  (rental,  £46  2s.  6d.)  ;  Ballyhutherland,  (rental, 
£40  lis.  6d.)  ;  Drumore,  (rental,  £50  12s.  6d.)  ;  Bellaghy,  (rental, 
£64  19s.  Od. )  ;  Kilcreen,  (rental,  £73  2s  Od. )  ;  Dunmining,  (rental, 
£67  2s.  3d.)  ;  Killycowan,  (rental,  £67  2s.  3d.)  ;  and  Duneamy, 
(rental,  £07  2s.  3d. )  It  was  stated  that  these  lands  were  subject  to  a 
chiefry  of  £40,  to  the  Earl  of  Antrim,  that  part  of  the  lands  would  be 
out  of  lease  in  ten  years,  and  application  was  to  be  made  to  Mr.  James 
Caulfield,  or  to  Mr.  John  Agnew,  at  Craigs.  On  the  12th  of  July, 
1824,  James  Staples,  the  elder,  and  James  Caulfield,  the  younger, 
demised  to  Nicholas  De-la-Cherois  Crommelin,  of  Carrowdore  Castle, 
in  the  County  of  Down,  the  townland  of  Skerries,  or  Skerryravel, 
containing  1,610  acres  Cunningham  measure,  with  mines,  quarries, 
timber,  tithes,  great  and  small,  to  be  held  for  1,000  years,  at  the 
yearly  rent  of  £350.  See  Voh  III.  p.  467.  In  1834,  John  M'Neill, 
Esq.,  Parkmount,  Belfast,  purchased  Craigs  and  other  lands  from 
Edward  Houston  Caulfield,  for  £46,000.  Glaskil,  called  Glaskill,  in 
the  Down  Survey,  was  the  name  of  one  of  the  townlands  belonging  to 
the  Earl  of  Antrim,  in  the  Craigs,  in  the  civil  parish  of  Ahoghill. 
Shaw's  estate  was  therefore  what  is  now  called  the  Four  Towns  of  the 
Craigs.    See  Vol.  III.  p.  363. 


64  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOK. 

PARISH   PRIESTS. 

After  the  death  of  the  Rev.  William  M'Cartan,  P.P., 
Rasharkin,  which  occurred  on  the  23rd  of  May,  1864,  the 
district  attached  to  the  church  of  Dunloy,  consisting  of  the 
eastern  parts  of  the  civil  parishes  of  Rasharkin  and  Finvoy 
was  severed  from  the  parish  of  Rasharkin  and  constituted 
into  a  separate  parish.  After  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Henry 
M'Laughlin,  P.P.,  Loughguile,  which  occurred  on  the  23rd 
of  September,  1869,  several  townlands  in  the  civil  parishes 
of  Kilraghts,  Loughguile,  and  the  Grange  of  Killagan,  were 
severed  from  the  parish  of  Loughguile  and  added  to  the 
new  parish  of  Dunloy.  At  the  same  time  the  Rev.  William 
John  M'Auley,  P.P.,  Glenravel,  surrendered  the  western 
parts  of  the  civil  parish  of  Dunaghy,  which  were  added  to 
the  parish  of  Loughguile.  Father  Magee,  P.P.,  Loughguile, 
made  preparations  to  erect  a  church  in  Clough  mills,  but 
after  his  death,  which  occurred  March  1st,  1873,  the  district 
attached  to  Cloughmills  was  separated  from  Loughguile  and 
united  to  the  parish  of  Dunloy.  The  new  parish  of  Dunloy 
was  conferred  on  Father  Close. 

The  Rev.  William  Close  was  a  native  of  Bally macward, 
in  the  parish  of  Derryaghy.  He  entered  the  Rhetoric  Class, 
in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  February  14th,  1850  ;  was 
ordained  in  Clarendon  Street  Church,  Dublin,  by  Dr. 
Whelau,  Bishop  of  Bombay,  in  November,  1854  ;  was  shortly 
afterwards  sent  as  assistant  to  the  Rev.  William  John 
M'Auley,  who  was  then  temporarily  in  charge  of  the  parish 
of  Drummaul  and  Antrim  ;  was  appointed  in  the  Spring 
of  1857,  administrator  of  Newtownards,  and  in  1860  its 
parish  priest.  From  Newtownards  Father  Close  was  ap- 
pointed to  Dunloy,  on  the  18th  of  June,  1864:  he  resigned  the 
parish  in  February,  1866,  and  was  succeeded  by  Father  Curoe. 


THE  PARISH  OF  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS.  65 

The  Rev.  William  Caroe  was  a  native  of  the  townland  of 
Whitehills  (civil  parish  of  Ballycnlter),  in  the  parish  of 
Kilclief.  After  studying  in  the  Diocesan  College,  he  entered 
the  Rhetoric  Class,  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  February 
11th,  1847  ;  was  ordained  in  Clarendon  Street  Chapel, 
Dublin,  by  Dr.  Whelan,  on  the  23rd  of  May,  1851  ;  was 
appointed  curate  of  Belfast,  but  after  a  few  months  he  was 
appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Duneane ;  afterwards  to  that  of 
Lower  Ards,  from  which  he  was  promoted  to  the  parish  of 
Dunloy,  in  February,  1866.  Father  Curoe  was  appointed 
to  the  parish  of  Rasharkin,  on  the  5th  of  April,  1877,  and 
Father  Waterson  was  appointed   to  Dunloy  and  Bushmills. 

The  Rev.  Edward  Waterson  was  born,  August  10th,  1839, 
in  the  townland  of  Drum  roe,  in  the  parish  of  Kilclief ;  after 
studying  in  the  Diocesan  College,  he  entered  the  Class  of 
Humanity,  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  November  15th, 
1858  ;  was  ordained  in  St.  Malachy's  Belfast,  by  Dr. 
Dorrian,  on  the  3rd  Sunday  of  October,  1863  ;  was  appointed 
curate  of  St.  Malachy's  Belfast,  February  13th,  1864 ; 
curate  of  Ballykinlar,  in  July,  1864  ;  curate  of  Ballyma- 
carrett,  December  8th,  1866  ;  dean  of  the  Diocesan  College, 
September  8th,  1867  ;  curate  of  Derryaghy,  in  February, 
1871 ;  curate  of  St.  Peter's  Belfast,  July,  1873  ;  adminis- 
trator of  Ballymacarrett,  January,  1874 ;  curate  of  Derry 
aghy,  in  July,  1875  ;  from  which  he  was  promoted  to  the 
parish  of  Dunloy  and  Cloughmills,  on  the  15th  of  April, 
1877. 

CHURCHES. 

During  times  of  persecution  Mass  was  celebrated  generally 
on  the  site,  where  afterwards  was  built  the  old  chapel  in 
Bally macaldrack,  immediately  adjoining  the  site  of  the  pre- 
sent   Parochial    House  and    National    schools.     Mass  was 

E 


66  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

celebrated  on  the  farm,  which  at  pi'esent  belongs  to 
Alexander  Catherwood,  in  Glenbuck,  where  the  altar  built 
of  stones  still  remains.  Another  Mass  station  was  at  the 
Mass  Hill,  in  Mr.  Read's  farm,  in  Grannagh.  At  times, 
also  the  people  assembled  for  Mass  at  the  Broad  Stone,  in 
the  Craigs,  and  at  the  Square  Fort,  near  the  Broad  Stone. 
About  the  year  1746,  the  Rev.  Patrick  M'Keefry  and  his 
people  ventured  to  build  the  wretched  construction  called 
the  Old  Chapel.  On  the  12th  of  May,  1835,  Mr.  George 
Hutchinson  granted  to  Dr.  Crolly  and  Rev.  Peter  M'Mullan, 
P.P.,  a  lease  for  ever  of  about  half  an  acre  Cunningham 
measure_,  in  the  townland  of  Dunloy,  at  the  rent  of  Is.,  if 
demanded.  On  this  site  the  church  of  St.  Joseph's  was 
erected,  through  the  exertion  of  the  Rev.  Hugh  Hanna, 
afterwards  parish  priest  of  Maghera  and  Bryausford,  who 
was  then  the  curate  of  the  parish.  The  church  was  dedi- 
cated by  Dr.  Denvir,  on  the  20th  of  September,  1840.  The 
parochial  house  was  erected  by  Father  Curoe,  on  the 
grounds  of  the  old  chapel,  which  are  held  by  prescription. 

The  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  Cloughmills,  was  erected 
by  Father  Waterson,  from  plans  supplied  by  Alexander 
M'Alister,  Esq.  architect,  Belfast.  On  the  7th  of  November, 
1871.  Mrs.  Helena  M'Keevir  and  her  family,  holding  under 
a  lease,  dated  1st  of  November,  1836,  for  904  years  unex- 
pired, granted  to  the  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Dorrian  and  the  Rev. 
Cornelius  Magee,  P.P.,  Loughguile,  a  lease  for  850  years, 
of  la.  2r.  I5p.,  in  the  townland  of  Loughhill,  at  the 
rent  of  6d.  per  annum.  A  temporary  wooden  house  was 
erected  in  1873^  in  which  Mass  was  celebrated  until  the 
church  was  completed.  The  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart  is 
a  veiy  beautiful  building  in  the  Gothic  style ;  built  of  black 
stone,  with  freestone  dressings.     The  nave  is  in  the  clear 


THE  PARISH  OP  DUNLOY  AND  CLOUGHMILLS.  67 

68  feet  by  29  feet,  tlie  chancel,  20  feet  by  15i  feet,  and  the 
sacristy,  16  feet  by  14  feet.  The  side  walls  are  21|  feet 
in  height,  and  lighted  on  each  side  by  five  cusped-lancet 
windows ;  the  height  from  the  floor  to  the  apex  is  16  feet ; 
the  roof  is  open,  sheeted  with  pine  and  divided  into  panels 
by  moulded  ribs.  Over  the  western  door  there  is  a  com- 
modious organ  gallery.  The  western  gable  and  the  gable  of 
the  chancel  are  each  lighted  by  a  very  elaborate  and  taste- 
ful window.  Tinted  cathedral-glass  is  used  in  all  the 
windows,  which  has  a  very  agreeable  effect.  The  church  is 
very  complete  and  cost  £3,200.  It  was  dedicated  by  Dr. 
Dorrian,  on  the  30th  of  September.  1883.  The  Most  Rev. 
Dr.  Carr,  Bishop  of  Galway,  preached  a  sermon  on  the 
occasion,  taking  as  his  text  the  16th  and  17th  verses  of 
the  24th  chapter  of  the  Book  of  Genesis.  The  collection 
received  within  the  church  amounted  upwards  of  £400. 


THE  PARISH  OF  RASHARKIN. 


THE  parish  of  Rasharkin  extends  over  the  portions  of 
the  civil  parishes  of  Rasharkin  and  Finvoy,  which  are 
not  contained  in  the  parish  of  Dunloy  and  Cloughmills. 
'^  The  church  of  Rooserkan"*  was  valued  in  the  Taxation  of 
Pope  Nicholas,  at  20/-.  The  Terrier,  says  of  it—"  Ecclesia 
de  Raserkain  hath  5  towns,  4  Erenoth,t  and   1   in  Glebe. 

*  An  ancient  Irish  tale,  Buile  SJnubJine,  which  relates  the  wander. 
ings  of  Suibhne,  King  of  Dalaradia,  after  he  had  lost  his  reason  on 
witnessing  the  slaughter  at  the  battle  of  Magh-Eath,  a.d.  637, 
mentions  Bos  Ercaln  as  one  of  his  residences.  It  is  again  mentioned 
by  the  Four  blasters  at  a.d.  1497,  as  the  place  where  Felim  O'Keill. 
grandson  of  Brian  Ballagh  O'Neill,  was  slain. 

+  Erenach  was  the  person  who  farmed  the  church  lands  among  the 
ancient  Irish.  The  term  is  written  Airchinneach,  (pronounced 
Erinagh),  which  signifies  "  a  chief  head."  Dr.  O'Donovan  cites  a 
passage  from  the  Leabhar  Breac,  where  Satan  is  styled  the 
"  Airchinneach  oi.  hell,  and  prince  of  death."  It  would  seem  that 
church  lands  were  occupied  by  certain  septs,  out  of  who7n  the  bishop, 
abbot,  or  superior  of  the  church  selected  a  chief,  the  Erenach,  who 
among  the  sept  held  the  same  position  as  a  chief  among  a  clan. 
After  election  he  was  unremoveable,  except  for  some  very  grave 
crime,  and  at  his  death  his  successor  was  not  necessarily  his  son, 
but  some  one  of  his  tribe  selected  by  the  chief  ecclesiastic  of  the 
church  to  which  the  lands  were  attached.  The  erenach  subdivided 
the  lands  among  the  families  of  his  tribe,  like  the  chief  of  any  other 
clan.  He  was  required  to  pay  a  certain  rent  to  the  superior  of  the 
church,  and  contribute  a  certain  amount  towards  the  repairs  of  the 
church,  and  for  giving  hospitality.  In  the  dioceses  of  Derry  and 
Jtaphoe  the  tithes  of  each  parish  were  divided  into  three  equal 
portions,  of  which  one  was  assigned  to  the  rector,  one  to  the  vicar, 


THE  PARISH  OF  RASHARKIN.  69 

Sir  Randal  hath  the  parsonage ;  pays  Proxies,  20/- ;  Re- 
fections, 20/- ;  Synodals,  2/-."  The  Ulster  Visitation  Booh, 
of  1622,  reports  "  Ecclesia  de  Raserkan  alias  Magheraserkan 
decayed.  Rectory  impropriate  to  the  abbey  of  Muckamore, 
and  possesst  by  the  Earl  of  Antrym."     The  Antrim  Inquisi- 

and  the  third  to  the  herenagh.  See  Archb.  Coltoii's  Visitation  ofDerry, 
by  Dr.  Reeves.  The  English  invasion  broke  up  the  ancient  Irish 
customs  in  Down  and  Connor,  so  that  the  names  of  the  erenachs  of 
the  different  churches  are  unknown,  or  at  best  can  only  be  surmised 
by  us  ;  but  in  the  dioceses  of  Derry  and  Raphoe,  where  the  power  of 
the  Kinel-Owen  and  Kinel-Connal  remained  in  vigour  until  the  close 
of  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  the  names  of  the  erenachs  in  most  of  the 
parishes  are  well-known.  Thus  O'Deman  (now  O'Dimond)  was  erenach 
of  Kilreagh  ;  O'Tuohill,  of  Desertoghill ;  O'Crilly,  of  Tamlaght- 
O'Crilly,  &c.  The  following  finding  of  the  jury  of  the  Inquisition 
taken  at  Dungannon  in  1609,  explains  the  rights  and  duties  of  the 
erenagh,  or  herenagh  ;  "and  further,  they  say  uppon  their  oathes, 
that  in  all  places  of  the  said  countie  of  Tyrone,  where  the  tiethes 
are  divided  betwixt  the  parson,  viccar,  and  herenagh  ;  they  are  to 
beare  the  chardge  of  repairinge  and  maynteyninge  the  proper 
parishe  church  equallie  between  themselves.  And  the  said  jurors 
doe  uppon  their  oathes,  finde  and  present,  that  the  erenagh  land 
was  att  first  given  by  the  temporall  lords  immediatlie  to  the  first 
founders  of  the  churches  ;  and  that  those  did  give  the  same  to 
severall  septs,  for  payinge  rent  and  other  dueties  to  the  bushopps 
and  for  repairinge  and  mayntenyinge  their  parishe  church,  wherein 
they  often  tymes  did  beare  a  third  parte,  and  some  tymes  twoe- 
third  of  the  chardge,  and  for  keepiuge  of  hospitalitie  ;  and  that  these 
septs  or  erenaghs  have,  tyme  out  of  mynde,  inherited  the  said  lands 
accordinge  to  the  Irish  custome  of  tanistrie."  They  also  found  that 
erenachs  were  not  removeable  by  the  bishops,  that  Termon-land  was 
the  land  belonging  to  great  monasteries  and  was  similar  to  erenach - 
land,  but  that  it  had  frequently  attached  to  it  the  privilege  of 
sanctuary,  and  that  the  chief-tenant  was  called  a  Corbe  (Comharba — 
a  successor j,  who  at  times  had  under  him  several  erenachs.  In 
early  times  both  the  title  Comharba  (pronounced  coarba — the  suc- 
cessor of  the  founder),  and  erenach — "  superior"  were  borne  by 
ecclesiastics,  but  in  more  recent  days  they  were  used  to  designate 
the  persons  who  farmed  the  church  lands  from  the  ecclesiastical 
representative  of  the  founder. 


70  DIOCESE    OF   COXNOa. 

tion,  of  1605,  also  found  that  the  rectory  of  *'  Magherisergan 
in  the  Rowte"  was  at  the  Dissolution  appropriate  to  the 
Priory  of  Muckamore,  The  Protestant  church  occupies  the 
site  of  the  ancient  church.  About  a  furlong  north-east  of 
the  church  is  an  isolated  x'ocky  hill,  about  60  feet  high,  and 
100  feet  long,  called  Drumbulcan;  it  is  distant  two  fields 
from  the  eastern  side  of  the  village,  and  stands  at  the  foot 
of  the  steep  declivity  of  a  higher  and  more  extensive  hill 
that  rises  to  the  east  of  it.  Tlie  top  of  it  is  covered  with  a 
dark  mould,  in  which  fragments  of  bones  have  been  found, 
and  as  Dr.  Reeves  remarks,  the  edge  of  the  platform  seems 
to  have  been  formerly  protected  by  an  earthen  rampart.  It 
much  resembles  Dungonnel  Fort,  in  form  and  height,  but 
it  wants  the  stone  fort  that  crowns  the  rock  rising  over  the 
branches  of  the  Ravel  river,  A  place  on  the  heights  above 
Drumbulcan  is  shown,  where,  according  to  popular  stories,  a 
church  was  commenced,  but  whatever  was  built  there  during 
the  day  was  thrown  down  at  night  by  some  invisible  agency, 
until  the  builder  abandoned  the  undertaking  and  erected 
his  church  at  Rasharkin.  This  story  is  told  of  several  other 
churches,  and  as  human  bones  are  found  at  the  sites,  said 
to  have  been  rejected,  it  obviously  is  intended  to  account 
for  the  abandonment  of  a  church  that  for  ages  had 
ceased  to  exist.  There  is  close  to  Drumbulcan  a  Holy 
Well,  to  which  sick  children,  perhaps  in  memory  ot  St. 
Olcan's  early  history,  were  formerly  brought  on  IMay  Eve, 
but  the  well  is  now  neglected  and  almost  forgotten.  Drom- 
bolcan  signifies  "the  ridge  of  Bolcan,"  and  seems  to  have 
been  named  from  St.  Olcan,  who  is  called  by  some  wi-iters 
Bolcan ;  but  it  may  also  be  named  from  Olchu,  one  of  the 
chiefs  of  Dal-Riada.  Colgan  calls  it  Dunholcaln,  and 
describes  it  as  "  a  place  without  a  church,  near  Airthermuige 


THE   PARISH  OF  RASHARKIN.  71 

(Armoy),  where  perhaps  he  (St.  Olcan)  was  born."  Ada. 
S.S.  p.  378.  The  story  of  Olcan's  birth  is  thus  told  in  the 
Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick,  as  translated  by  Mr,  Hennesy 
for  Sister  Cusack, 

"  Patrick  went  afterwards  to  Dal-Araidhe  and  Dal-Riada.  Then 
he  proceeded  to  Eori,  to  Carn-Setna,  southwards,  where  he  heard 
the  screams  of  an  infant  from  out  of  the  ground.  The  earn  was 
demolished,  the  sepulchre  was  laid  bare,  and  a  smell  of  wine  arose 
around  them  out  of  the  sepulchre.  They  saw  the  living  child  with 
the  dead  mother.  A  woman  that  died  of  ague  ;  she  was  brought 
across  the  sea  to  Erin,  and  the  child  was  born  after  death  ;  and  seven 
days  it  lived  in  the  tumulus.  "This  is  bad  (01c),"  said  the  King. 
"That  shall  be  his  name  (Olcan),"  said  the  druid.  Patrick  baptized 
him  ;  and  he  is  Bishop  Olcan  of  the  community  of  Airther-Maighe 
(Armoy),  in  the  district  of  Dal-Riada." 

In  the  more  extensive  copy  of  the  Tripartite  Life,  which 
Colgan  gives,  the  name  of  the  prince  who  discovered  the  child 
is  not  Rori,  but  Darius  (Daire),  and  the  tumulus  is  called 
Carn  Sedna.  The  conjecture  of  Colgan  that  Drumbulcan  is 
the  birthplace  of  St.  Olcan  is  very  likely  correct ;  if  so  it 
would  seem  that  the  original  name  of  the  mound  was  Carn- 
Sedna,  Jocelin  calls  St.  Olcan's  church  Lerkan,  and  Ussher 
styles  him  "  Bishop  of  Derkan,"  and  adds — "  which  in  the 
territory  of  Route  in  Antrim,  still  retains  the  name  of  Clon- 
derkau."  Dr.  Reeves  conjectures  that  "  it  is  probable  that 
Derkan  was  the  name  of  the  district  about  Armoy."  The 
simpler  explanation  is  that  both  the  churches  of  Armoy  and 
Rasharkin  were  under  St.  Olcan,  and  that  Rasharkin  is  the 
Derkan  of  Jocelin  and  Usher.  The  founder  of  the  church 
of  Rasharkin  was  without  doubt  a  bishop,  hence,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  sees  that  in  process  of  time  became  absorbed  in 
the  see  oi  Connor,  the  lands  of  Rasharkin  belonged  to  that 
see.  The  Terrier  has  entered  among  the  lands  belonging 
to     the    bishoprick  of  Connor. — "  In    Maghereshai-kin,  the 


72  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

temporalities  of  5  towns  3"  and  in  the  margin  "  Sir  Randal" 
is  entered  as  the  tenant  under  the  see.  It  is  remarkable 
that  the  lands  of  Rasharkin  are  omitted  in  the  return  of  see 
lands,  in  the  Ulster  Visitation  of  1622.  The  following 
document  refers  to  these  and  other  lands  : — 

Disputes  having  arisen  between  Randall  Marquess  and  Jeremiah, 
Lord  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor,  concerning  the  four  townelandes 
of  Magherasharkin,  barony  of  Kilconway,  the  |  town  of  Diserta 
Vera,  same  barony,  the  territory  or  precinct  of  Ardmoy,  containing 
four  towne  lands,  barony  of  Carie,  as  also  the  lands  of  Enispolan, 
Solar,  Ballyhumpany,  in  the  barony  of  Glenarme  and  County  of 
Antrim;  and  they  having  left  same  to  the  determination  of  James, Lord 
Archbishop  of  Armagh,  and  such  as  he  should  nominate,  and  he 
having  nominated  the  Archbishop  of  Dublin  ;  it  was  awarded  that 
the  Marquess  should  surrender  such  lands  to  the  Bishop,  who  there- 
upon should  make  a  lease  to  the  Marquess  thereof,  for  60  years, 
from  1st  May,  then  next  at  the  rent  £90,  the  bishop  to  get  same 
confirmed  by  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  Connor.  The  Marquess  to 
pay  or  secure  to  the  bishop  £150  as  a  fine,  all  to  be  approved  by 
the  Council  Board.  Signed,  and  sealed,  12th  March,  1625.  Ja. 
Armacanus. 

This  lease  was  sold  in  1749,  by  Alexander  5th,  Earl  of 
Antrim,  to  the  son  of  Dr.  Smith,  Protestant  bishop  of  Down 
and  Connor.  According  to  the  parliamentary  returns  made 
iu  1833,  "The  four  townlands  of  Magherasharkin,  the  J 
townland  of  Dundesartmore,  and  the  townlabds  of  Bally- 
hampton,  Sollar,  and  Inispollan,  in  the  territory  of  the 
Roote,"  wei-e  held  of  the  see  by  the  heirs  of  R.  Smith,  by  a 
21  year  lease,  at  the  annual  rent  of  £48  9s,  3d.,  witli  the 
usual  implied  covenant  of  perpetual  renewal  each  year,  and 
the  renewal  fine  was  £211  6s.  l^d..  The  same  family  held 
at  that  time  by  similar  leases  all  the  see  lands  in  Dal-Riada, 
but  these  lands  have  since  that  been  disposed  of  to  dillerent 
purchasers,  with  tlie  exceptions  of  the  lands  of  Armoy. 
"Yhicli    still    belong  to   Mr.   Smith.      The   four   townlands 


THE  PARISH  OF  RASHARKIN.  73 

which  constitute  the  see-lands  of  Rasharkiu,  are  Carntiuton, 
Church  Tamlaght;  Crushybrackin,  and  Drumack,  containing 
3,373  acres,  1  rood,  and  12  perches. 

"W  e  have  seen  above  that  in  Catholic  times  the  rectory 
belonged  to  the  Priory  of  Muckamore,  which  appointed  the 
vicar  or  resident  clergyman.  The  monastery  of  Muckamore 
possessed  the  rectories  of  other  churches,  the  lands  of  which 
belonged  to  the  see  of  Connor,  probably  arising  from  some 
partition  of  ecclesiastical  possessions  made  by  the  bishop  of 
Connor,  with  the  abbots  of  Kells  and  Muckamore,  when  he 
ceased  to  fill  the  double  office  of  bishop  of  Connor  and  abbot 
de  Deserto  Conner  ice,  or  Kells;  for  St.  Col  man  Ela,  the  founder 
and  first  abbot  of  Muckamore  had  been  abbot,  and  perhaps, 
also  bishop  of  Connoi\  At  the  Dissolution,  the  rights  of  the 
abbot  of  Muckamore  became  vested  in  the  crown,  and  the 
rectory  of  E,asharkin  was  conferred  on  Sir  Randal  McDonnell. 
Alexander  5th,  Earl  of  Antrim,  in  1749,  sold  the  rectorial 
tithes  to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Staples  and  the  Hon.  and  Rev. 
Charles  Caulfield.  According  to  a  report  published  in  1836, 
the  rectorial  tithes  of  Rasharkin  amounted  to  £203  15s.  5d., 
one  portion  thereof  compounded  for  £55  15s.  8d.,  belonged 
to  Robert  Hervey,  Esq.,  two  other  portions  compounded  for 
£101  16s.  8d.,  belonged  one  moiety  thereof  to  Sir  Thomas 
Staples,  Bart.,  and  the  other  moiety  co  Edward  Caulfield, 
Esq.,  and  the  residue  of  the  lay  tithes  compounded  for 
<£46  3s.  Id.  was  appropriated  to  the  use  of  the  Chaplain  of 
Castledawson  Chapelry.  At  that  date  the  vicarial  tithes, 
paid  to  the  minister,  amounted  to  =£222  7s.  Od. 

In  the  townland  of  Crushybracken  there  was  an  ancient 
cemetery,  which  is  now  completely  destroyed  ;  it  was  called 
Slaglittaggart,  which  is  popularly  translated  "  the  priest's 
grave,"  and  it  is  said  that  it  was  so-named  because  a  priest 


74  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

was  murdered  and  interred  there ;  a  great  cairn  of  stones 
was  said  to  mark  his  grave.  The  word  Leacht,  "  a  grave, 
or  pile  of  stones  in  memory  of  the  dead,"  has  assumed 
throughout  the  Counties  of  Down  and  Antrim,  the  form 
Slaght.  It  is  probable  that  there  was  here  in  pagan  times 
a  monumental  cairn,  which  in  consequence  of  the  church 
erected  beside  it  was  named  Slaght-taggart — ^'  the  priest's 
leachi."  Crushybrackan,  "  the  cross  of  Brackan,"  seems  to 
be  named  from  Breccan,  the  companion  of  St.  Ciarog,  or 
Mochuaroc  of  Descart.  See  Vol.  III.  p,  462.  Breccan 
was  the  son  of  Saranus  the  chieftain,  who  opposed  St. 
Patrick,  in  Dalaradia.  The  festival  of  St.  Breccan  was 
celebrated  on  the  7th.  of  May.* 

In  Drumack  there  is  a  very  remarkable  fort  called  Lis- 
canon  ;  it  is  surrounded  by  two  ditches,  having  between 
them  a  rampart  of  a  peculiar  form. 

There  are  the  remains  of  a  great  cairn,  in  the  farm  of 
Mrs.  Conway,  in  the  townland  of  Tehorny.  In  1837, 
though  it  was  then  almost  entirely  removed,  the  officers  of 
the  Ordnance  Survey  found  that  its  remains  extended  130 
feet  in  length,  and  30  feet  in  width.  There  was  remaining 
about  the  middle  of  it  a  fragment  of  a  large  stone  supposed 
*  The  commentator  on  the  Felire  of  St.  Aengus  says,  that 
Ech-Droma,  where  was  the  church  of  Mochuaroc  and  Breccan,  was 
on  the  confines  of  Dalaradia  and  Dal-Riada,  which  as  Dr.  Keeves  re- 
marks exactly  corresponds  witli  the  situation  of  Descart.  Ech- 
Droma — "the  horse  hill"  is  no  longer  used,  but  a  fair  (see  Vol. 
III.  p.  461),  was  lield  there  until  about  a  century  ago,  which  may 
have  given  name  to  Ech-Droma.  The  church  of  Queur,  valued  in 
the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas,  at  £5.,  Dr.  lleeves  supposes  to  be 
the  church  of  Descart;  and  he  thinks  that  the  name  is  some  corrup- 
tion intended  lor  Cargan,  the  townland  in  which  it  is  situated. 
(Jiieur  seems  rather  a  corruption  of  the  name  of  the  Patron  Saiut- 
Cuaroc.  See  also  Lives  of  the  Irish  Saints,  Vol.  V.  p.  113,  by 
Father  O'Hanlon. 


THE  PARISH  OF  RASHARKIN.  75 

to  have  been  the  top-stone  of  a  cromleach  that  had  been 
covered  over  by  the  cairn.  StoAe  implements  vsrere  frequently- 
found  from  time  to  time  in  the.  adjoining  fields.  At  the 
distance  of  about  500  yards  to  the  south  of  the  cairn  there 
is  located,  near  a  stream,  a  large  rock  having  a  rude  re- 
semblance to  a  seat  which  is  called  the  Giant's  Chair.  It 
is  merely  a  natural  ledge  in  the  side  of  a  rock,  which  is 
situated  in  the  midst  of  a  group  of  other  rocks.* 

There  are  no  military  remains  of  a  date  subsequent  to 
the  English  invasion  now  remaining  in  the  civil  parish  of 
Rasharkin,  except  the  traces  of  an  entrenchment  along  the 
edge  of  the  Bann.  lb  is  now  nearly  defaced  but  it  was 
about  200  yards  in  length  and  10  feet  in  width.  It  was 
exactly  opposite  to  a  series  of  similar  earthworks  on  the 
bank  of  the  river  in  the  paiish  of  Kilrea,  County  Derry. 
Great  quantities  of  Irish  antiquities  were  found  during  the 
operations  for  the  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the 
Bann.  Only  a  few  of  them  found  their  way  into  the 
museum  of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy  ;  the  remainder  passed 
into  the  hands  of  local  antiquarians  and  dealers.  A  beautiful 
bead  of  blue  and  white  glass,  set  with  six  large  pieces  of  a 
yellow  vitreous  paste,  found  in  this  parish,  is  figured  in 
the  Kilkenny  Archcelogical  Journal,  third  series  Vol.  I. 
Coloured  engravings  of  two  similar  beads  found  in  Lough 
Ravel  Crannoge,  {Down  and  Connor,  Yol.  III.,  p.  335),  are 
given  along  with  it. 

*  Tehorney,  and  most  of  the  lands  about  Rasharkin,  in  the  reigns 
of  James  I.  and  Charles  I.  were  held,  by  gentlemen  named  O'Hagan, 
under  the  Earls  of  Antrim.  Tehorney,  called  Ballynharrany, 
Carrow-ward,  ("the  bard's  quarter,  now  Hazlebrook,")  and  Crushy- 
bracken,  called  Crossbreckan,  were  leased  in  1625,  for  101  years,  to 
Phelemy  O'Hagan,  of  Killyquin,  Moneyleck  was  leased  at  the 
same  time  and  for  the  same  term  to  Turlogh  O'Hagan,  of  Killyquin  ; 


76  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

Part  of  the  civil  loarish  of  Finvoy.  This  parish  is  named 
from  the  church,  which  stoQcl  in  the  little  circnlar  grave- 
yard, near  the  Bann,  called  Vow — the  name  seems  to  have 
been  originally  Fionn-hhoth  (pronounced  Finn-voh)  "  the 
white  huts,"  named  so,  for  some  cause  similar  to  that,  which 
which  gave  name  to  Raphoe,  (Rath-bhoth,  ♦'  the  rath  of  the 
huts.")  In  an  Inquisition,  however,  taken  on  the  death  of 
William  de  Burgo,  in  1333,  concerning  what  lands  were  at- 
tached to  the  Earldom  of  Ulster,  Finvoy  is  named  Fynmagh, 
as  if  it  were  Fionn-magh,  "the  white  plain."  The  church  is  not 
entered  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas,  unless  it  be  the 
Kilbritoune  which  occurs  in  the  taxation  between  the 
churches  of  Ballymoney  and  Tullaghgore.  In  the  Terrier 
it  is  entered  "  Ecclesia  de  Senboth  alias  Finvoyhe  hath  20 
acres  glebe.  Sir  Randal  hath  Parsonage ;  (ifc  pays)  Proxies, 
20/-;  Refections,  20/-;  Synodals,  2/-."  This  entry  would 
seem  to  give  another  name  to  the  church  Senboth,  '•  the  old 
hut,"  unless  the  initial  *S  be  a  transcriber's  mistake  for  F. 
The  Visitation  Book,  of  1622,  reports  "  Ecclesia  de  Fenvoyhe 
decayed."  The  Yow,  or  Finvoy  graveyard  is  situated  on 
the  top  of  a  hill  near  the  Bann  ;  it  contains  half  an  acre  of 
land  ;  there  is  no  trace  of  the  church  remaining, 
and  Gortahar,  Carnfinton,  Lisheegau,  Ballymaconnolly,  and  Bally- 
nawoolmone,  were  held  under  a  similar  lease  by  Henry  O'Hagan, 
of  Killyquin.  Donuell  Gorin  M'Donnell.vvhen  examined  at  Coleraine 
in  1652,  stated  that  conflict  at  Portnaw,  in  January,  16-41  (2),  took 
place  partly  on  the  lands  of  his  father,  and  partly  on  those  of  Henry 
O'Hagan.  The  lands  of  the  entire  civil  parish  were  parcelled  out 
among  the  following  Cromwellian  soldiers  : — Captain  William 
Huston,  Mr.  Millar,  Corporal  Bayley,  Captain  Thomas  Barrin>^ton, 
Lieutenant  P]llice,  Thomas  Francis,  Henry  Gribben,  William  M. 
Mills,  Captain  Bryan  O'Mulhallan,  Lieutenant  Samuel  Wilkins, 
Nicholas  Cotter,  Douald  M'Kay,  Edward  Simpson.  These  were  in 
possession  in  1660,  but  they  were  afterwards  dispossessed  and  the 
lands  restored  to  the  Earl  of  Antrim. 


THE  PARISH  OF  EASHARKIN.  77 

In  the  townland  of  Knockans,  at  the  distance  of  150 
yards  westwards  from  the  Protestant  church,  there  is  a 
little  graveyard  of  extreme  antiquity,  in  which  also  there  is 
no  trace  of  its  ancient  church  ;  it  contains  only  six  square 
perches  J  it  is  at  present  used  exclusively  by  Protestants. 
An  ancient  paved  road  extended  from  it  toward;?  the  site  of 
the  Protestant  church,  but  it  was  removed  about  the  year 
1825.  At  the  distance  of  a  few  townlands,  the  site  of  a 
building  called  "  the  Bloody  Church"  is  pointed  out,  but  it 
is  said  to  have  been  the  first  site  selected  for  the  Protestant 
church  erected  in  1720,  and  that  it  was  abandoned  in  con- 
sequence of  violent  disputes  among  the  congregation  about 
the  convenience  of  the  site,  in  one  of  which  a  man  was 
killed. 

The  most  remarkable  of  the  pagan  remains  is  the  Crom- 
leach  called  the  Broad  Stone,  situated  in  a  bleak  wild  valley, 
in  the  townland  of  Craigs,  It  is  a  slab  of  black,  hard,  and 
heavy  stone,  8  feet  long  by  7  feat  3  inches  broad,  and  1  foot 
thick,  raised  originally  on  five  other  stones  set  edgewise  as 
pillars.  The  foremost  supporters  are  still  standing  in  their 
first  position,  but  one  of  the  back  ones  has  been  taken  away, 
and  the  stone  in  consequence  has  sunk  from  its  horizontal 
level,  the  front  pillars  are  more  than  four  feet  high,  and  one 
thick,  and  a  foot  asunder.  Between  the  supporters  there 
was  formerly,  it  is  said,  a  chamber  communicating  with  two 
smaller  apartments  extending  northward,  and  covered  with 
stone.  At  present  no  certainty  on  this  head  can  be  ob- 
tained. Adjoining  on  the  north  east  is  a  round  cavity  about 
two  feet  in  diameter,  neatly  faced  with  stone,  called  the 
Giant's  Pot,  which  is  said  to  have  extended  into  the  ad- 
joining chambers.  On  the  sovith  side  there  is  a  large 
detatched  stone,  and  there  formerly  was  a  similar  one  on  the 


78  DIOCESE    OP    COXNOR. 

opposite  side.  There  are  vestiges  of  two  stone  circles  close 
to  the  cromleach.  All  appear  to  have  been  formerly 
encompassed  by  a  circle  of  lar£;e  stones  forty-three  feet  in 
diameter ;  and  from  the  number  of  stones  lying  around,  it 
would  seem,  that  this  outer  circle  was  the  circumference 
of  a  cairn  which  once  covered  the  entire  monument.  See 
Parochial  Survey,  Vol.  I.  A  description  and  sketch  of  this 
cromleach  are  given  in  the  Dublin  Penny  Journal,  Vol.  II., 
and  in  The  Cromlechs  of  Antrim  and  Down,  hy  William 
Gray,  M.R.I. A.  ;  published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Belfast 
Naturalists'  Field  Club.  Mr.  Gray  also  has  given  a  sketch 
of  another  cromleach  in  this  parish,  about  which  he  says — 
"  It  is  a  very  typical  example,  and  occurs  in  a  cultivated 
field  close  to  the  public  road,  within  half  a  mile  west  of  the 
Broadstone,  and  one  mile  east  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Finvoy.  The  cap-stone  is  a  flat  slab,  measuring  8  feet  long 
by  5  feet  6  inches  wide,  over  eight  upright  stones,  forming 
a  well-marked  oval  chamber,  the  major  axis  of  which  runs 
E.N.E.  by  W.S.W.  Formerly  this  monument  was  almost 
covered  with  earth,  the  cap-stone  alone  being  exposed. 
The  earth  was  removed  some  years  ago,  and  the  monument 
now  stands  on  the  natural  surface  of  the  ground.  During 
the  excavation  the  chamber  was  explored,  and  a  cineraiy 
urn  was  discovered  within." 

Near  the  Broad  Stone  there  was  a  Square  Fort  220  feet 
long  by  220  feet  broad ;  it  is  in  John  Gribben's  farm  and  is 
called  the  Craigs  Fort.  It  was  surrounded  by  an  ancient 
ditch  twenty  feet  broad  and  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  deej>. 
A  cave  passed  under  the  fort  from  east  to  west  which  is 
now  choked  up.  As  the  fort  is  subjected  to  tillage  its 
ditch  and  rampart  are  almost  efikced.  The  Parochial 
Survey  says,  "  About  a  furlong  distant  from  the  fort  is  a 


THE  PARISH  OF  RASHARKIN.  79 

stone  near  five  feet  high,  erected  like  a  column,  on  a  hill, 
from  which  there  is  a  prospect  of  Jura  and  other  western 
isles.  Between  the  fort  and  pillar  are  two  upright  stones, 
raised  at  nearly  equal  distances,  though  not  in  a  dii^eot  line 
between  them.  One  of  these  intermediate  stones  is  seven 
feet  high,  and  the  other  six  ;  they  are  nearly  square  and 
taper  to  a  point."  At  the  distance  of  600  yards  to  the 
south  of  the  Square  Fort  there  was,  in  Hugh  M*^Lester's 
farm,  another  square  earthen  fort  about  100  feet  square, 
which  was  provided  with  two  caves.  Fort  and  caves  have 
however  unfortunately  disappeared  before  the  persevering 
industry  of  the  farmer  in  whose  field  they  were.  A  similar 
earthen  square  fort  is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation  about 
half  a  mile  north  in  the  townland  of  Moneycanon.  It  is 
60  feet  square,  the  sides  rise  six  feet  above  the  field,  a 
shallow  ditch  surrounds  it  and  there  is  a  cave  under  it. 
These  squai-e  forts  which  are  rare  in  other  parts  of  Ireland 
are  very  interesting. 

Caves  are  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  civil  parish  of 
Finvoy ;  there  seems  to  have  been  at  an  average  one  to  each 
townland.  In  Knockans  there  is  a  cave  420  feet  long,  5 
feet  high  and  3  feet  broad,  and  divided  at  intervals 
of  18  feet,  by  narrow  passages  generally  2  feet  3  inches 
square  ;  the  cave  extends  from  east  to  west.  At  its  eastern 
extremity  the  farmer  found  a  paved  hearth  20  feet  in 
diameter,  on  and  about  which  were  charcoal  and  ashes.  In 
the  same  townland,  at  the  distance  of  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile,  another  cave  was  found,  which  had  a  similar  hearth 
near  its  entrance ;  this  cave  has  however  been  destroyed. 

Near  the  Yow.  is  an  eliptical  rath  called  Drumaboichan  ; 
below  it  at  the  Ferry  was  formerly  an  artificial  island,  said 
by  tradition  to  have  been  erected  as  a  residence  for  Ann 


80  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR, 

M 'Garry,  a  nun,  almost  as  famous  for  her  sanctity  and 
predictions  as  the  Black  Nun  of  Bonamargy,  but  it  is  much 
more  probable  that  it  was  erected  to  guard  the  Vow  Ferry, 
which  was  a  pass  of  consequence  on  the  Bann. 

A  defeat,  which  the  forces  under  Colonel  Archibald 
Stewart,  who  were  guarding  this  ford,  sustained  in  January, 
1642,  at  the  hands  of  the  afterwards  celebrated  Alaster 
M'Donnell,  is  distorted  into  a  massacre.  Several  writers 
even  down  to  Froude,  quoting  each  other  in  succession,  or 
relying  on  the  veracious  "  Depositions"  preserved  in  Trinity 
College,  represent  Alaster  M'Donnell  as  initiating  the  war 
by  an  act  of  treachery  and  murder  at  Portnaw.  The  learned 
Presbyterian  minister,  Bev  George  Hill,  in  his  Macdonels 
of  Antrim,  places  the  affair  in  its  true  light,  and  faithfully 
testifies  that  young  M'Donnell  was  "  a  terrible  antagonist 
on  a  fair  field,  but  he  was  not  a  treacherous  foe  like  so 
many  of  his  opponents ;  and  during  his  brief  but  brilliant 
career  he  was  never  known  to  treat  prisoners  with  in- 
humanity." This  Alaster,  or  Alexander  M'Donnell,  was  a 
son  of  Coll,  or  CoUa  M'Donnell,  whom  we  will  mention 
again  when  treating  of  Loughlinch.  He  was  born  in  the 
island  of  Colonsy,  \7here  his  father  resided,  but  he  came  to 
his  relatives  in  the  County  of  Antrim,  about  the  year  1639, 
and  he  afterwards  received  a  commission  in  one  of  the  eight 
companies  which  composed  the  regiment  raised  by  Mr. 
Archibald  Stewart,  the  agent  of  Lord  Antrim's  estate.  He 
received  this  appointment  as  a  means  "  of  detatching  the 
surrounding  Catholics  from  the  insurrection,  but  when  the 
war  burst  forth  Alaster  and  his  Highlanders  immediately 
seceded  from  Stewart's  regiment.  It  would  appear,  that  for 
a  time  he  took  no  active  part  in  the  conflict,  until  after  the 
opposite  party  killed   several   persons  in  the  Irish    mobs. 


THE  PARISH  OF  RASHARKIN.  81 

The  Irish  population  of  northern  Antrim  was  overawed  by 
the  garrison  of  Coleraine  and  Stewart's  regiment,  some  com- 
panies of  which  were  stationed  at  Portnaw.  This  position 
completely  cut  off  all  communication  between  the  Catholics 
of  Antrim  and  those  of  the  County  of  Derry,  and  left  them 
at  the  mercy  of  their  enemies."  Determining  therefore  to 
effect  a  junction  with  the  Irish  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Bann  he  calculated  well  his  chances  of  success.  The  first  of 
January  was  a  day  on  which  the  Scotch  were  expected  to 
have  regaled  themselves  so  well,  that  military  discipline 
would  be  much  relaxed  on  that  night ;  besides  fourteen  or 
fifteen  musketeers  had  been  sent  from  each  of  the  six  com- 
panies to  strengthen  Captain  Kennedy's  company  at  the 
Cross  in  the  parish  of  Ballymoney,  which  was  then  itnder 
orders  to  relieve  Mr,  Canning,  who  was  besieged  in  the 
castle  of  Agivey.  About  two  hours  before  morning,  on  the 
second  of  January,  1641,  (old  style),  a  numerous  body  of 
Irish  assisted  by  the  Highlanders  "  displaying  through  the 
twilight  their  white  colours,  which  they  had  brought  from 
Scotland,  attacked  Stewart's  companies  quartered  at  several 
places  near  Portnaw,  distant  the  space  of  half  a  mile,  one 
from  the  other".  Beioositions,  "  When  daylight  appeared  he 
had  scattered  the  enemy  in  a.11  directions,  leaving  several 
dead  in  their  encampment  and  some  in  their  beds;  If 
Stewart  placed  no  sentinels  on  the  watch,  or  if  his  men 
were  asleep  when  they  ought  to  have  been  standing  to  their 
arms,  any  blame  in  the  affair  attaches  to  him  and  certainly 
not  to  M'Donnell,  who  thus  inflicted  on  him  a  signal  defeat." 
Hill.  It  would,  therefore,  appear  that  the  forces  of  Stewart, 
like  those  of  Arabi  Pasha,  at  Tel-el-Kebir,  in  the  recent 
Egyptian  war,  neglected  to  keep  sentinels  ;  but  partial 
historians    describe    M'Donnell's    success   on    the     2nd    of 


82  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

January,  1642,  as  the  "Murder  at  Portnaw,"  while  for  the 
success  of  his  night  attack  on  the  13th  of  September,  1882. 
England  heaps  honour  after  honour  on  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley. 
The  principle  leaders  in  this  attack,  in  addition  to 
Alaster  M'Coll  M'Donnell,  were  James  M'CoU  M'Donnell, 
of  the  Cross  ;  Turlogh  Oge  O'Cahan,  of  Dunseverick  ; 
John  Duff  M'Allister,  of  Cairntriin,  in  Derrykeighan  ; 
and  Donnell  Gorm  M'Donnell,  of  Killyquin.  The  ford 
over  the  Bann  was  now  open,  and  early  in  the  morning, 
the  Irish  forces  aiigmdted  by  Neill  Oge  MacMullan, 
Donoghy  MacMuUen,  Brian  O'Hagan,  Henry  O'Hagan, 
and  Art  O'Hagan,  with  their  tenants  from  the  parish  of 
Rasharkin,  crossed  the  Bana,  and  returned  on  the  same 
morning  with  John  Mortimer  and  five  companies  of  Manus 
Roe  O'Cahan's  regiment.*  The  united  forces  drew  up  at 
the  house  of  James  M'Coll  M'Donnell,  near  the  Bann,  where 
they  were  put  in  order,  then  marching  into  the  Cross  they 
burned  that  village  and  afterwai-ds  the  town  of  Bally- 
money.  From  this  they  proceeded  to  attack  Ballintoy 
House  which  they  failed  to  capture,  and  after  encamping 
for   the  night  at    Craigballynoe,  they   marched  to  Ballyma- 

*  John  Mortimer  followed  the  standard  of  Alaster  M'Coll  in  the 
Scottish  expedition  under  Montrose,  and  distinguished  liimself  in 
the  battle,  fought  near  Aberdeen,  and  throughout  the  entire  war  ; 
he  was  taken  prisoner  in  1650,  in  a  skirmish  near  the  Castle  of 
Dunbeath  and  soon  afterwards  executed. 

Manus  Roe  O'Cathan,  or  O'Kane,  was  appointed  Colonel  in  one  of 
the  regiments  of  Alaster  M'Coll  in  the  same  expedition  ;  his  gallant 
daring  was  specially  distinguished  in  the  battle  of  Fivy.  Though 
the  other  Irish  soldiers  who  surrendered  at  Philiphaugh  on  terms  of 
quarter  were  immediately  massacred,  Colonel  O'Kane  and  IMajor 
Lachlan  were  sent  to  Edinburgh  and  hanged  on  the  Castle-Hill — 
the  "Covenant  ShauiblL'S."  The  Rev.  David  Dick  icferring  to  tlio 
number  executed  piously  ejaculated — "The  work  goes  boimicly  on." 
See  Hills  MacDonnolh  p.  104. 


THE  PARISH  OP  RASHARKIN.  83 

garry  and  summoned  Captain  Digby  to  surrender  Dunluce 
Castle,  The  strong  position  of  tlie  fortress  prevented  its 
capture,  and  the  Irish  forces  turned  southward  through 
Stranocum  towards  the  castle  of  Clough,  where  they  were 
joined  by  strong  bodies  of  men  from  the  vicinity  of  Toome. 
Clough  capitulated  after  a  few  shots,  leaving  the  Irish 
masters  of  all  northern  Antrim  except  Dunluce  and  Ballin- 
toy.  The  country  was  thus  the  scene  of  a  civil  war,  and  all 
its  dreadful  consequences;  and  retaliatary  deeds  of  blood  were 
done  on  both  sides  at  which  the  heart  sickens.  Though 
mobs  of  poor  people,  afraid  to  remain  in  their  own  houses, 
met  opposing  mobs  and  destroyed  life  and  property  to  a 
fearful  extent ;  yet  it  is  almost  admitted  by  their  worst 
enemies,  that  the  leaders  of  the  Irish  did  their  best  to  prevent 
the  unnecessary  effusion  of  human  blood. 

In  the  middle  of  a  large  sweep  which  the  Bann  takes 
between  Moore  Lodge  and  Movanagher  is  a  Stone  Circle  of 
about  25  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  formed  of  large  stones, 
which  are  all,  except  their  tops,  under  ground,  within  this 
outer  circle  was  an  inner  row  of  stones,  also  circularly  set, 
having  a  large  stone  in  the  centre. 

Kilconway  Rath,  which  according  to  the  writer  in  the 
Statistical  Survey,  gives  name  to  the  barony,  is  a  large 
ciixular  fort  near  the  Glebe-house,  and  from  that  circum- 
stance now  generally  called  G-lebe-Fort.  It  is  of  tiie 
ordinary  class  of  raths  and  has  an  artificial  cave  round  its 
extent  in  the  inside. 

The  writer  in  the  Statistical  Survey  says,  "  As  to  the 
property  in  the  parish  of  Finvoy,  the  whole  is  probably 
debenture  lands,  except  Killimurris  which  belongs  to  the 
Antrim  family,  and  is  set  in  perpetuity  to  others.  The 
greater  part  was  granted  by  Cromwell  to  his  offlcers,  and  is 


84  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR 

iiow  in  the  hands  of  different  landlords,  none  of  whom  (save 
Stephen  Holland,  Esq.,  Carrireagh),  are  descendants  of  the 
original  grantees."  In  the  Down  Survey  and  Booh  of 
Distribution.  The  entire  parish  is  returned  as  having 
belonging  to  the  Earl  of  Antrim,  but  under  tlie  column 
"  Persons  to  whom  distributed"  he  is  entered  only  for  "  2 
quarters  of  Dunloye,  Gallennagh  1  quarter,  the  lower 
quarter  of  Ballymacalient,  2  quarters  of  the  same,  and 
another  part  of  the  same,  1  quarter  of  Gallenagh,  a  part  of 
Knockans,  1  quarter  of  Unsinagh,  and  a  part  of  the  same." 
The  following,  who  were  either  the  soldiers  who  had  settled 
in  the  parish  in  1655,  or  the  representatives  of  them,  are 
returned  in  the  Quit  Rent  Book,  as  the  owners  in  1660  : — 
Samuel  Hill,  Captain  John  Galland,  Captain  Thomas 
Barrington,  Mr.  Eorrest,  Carrol  Bolton,  Captain  Bryan 
Mulhallan  ;  however  in  the  Book  of  DistrihUio7i  the  lands 
not  distributed  to  the  Earl  of  Antrim  were  distributed  to 
Samuel  Hill,  John  Galland,  Lord  Masserene,  and  Richard 
Holland.  For  the  ancient  tuoghs,  or  districts,  into  which 
the  parish  was  formerly  divided  see  p.  30 

CHUECHES. 

During  the  times  of  persecution  the  Catholics  resident  in 
the  districts,  which  constitute  the  present  parish  of  Easharkin, 
attended  Mass  at  the  Mass  Stations  already  mentioned, 
when  treating  of  the  parish  of  Dunloy  and  Cloughmills. 
Mass  was  frequently  celebrated  at  the  site  of  the  present 
church  in  the  townland  of  Moneyleck.  There  was  also  a 
Mass  Station  at  the  Broad  Stone,  and  one  at  the  Square 
Fort  in  the  farm  at  i)resent  occupied  by  John  Gribben. 
Old  men  who  were  living  a  few  year's  ago  remembered  the 
bishop  towards  the   end  of  the  last  century  administering 


THE  PARISH  OF  RASHARKIN.  85 

the  Sacrament;  of  Confii'ination  at  the  latter  Mass  Station, 
though  the  old  chapel  of  Dunloy  was  then  built.  Father 
Brenan  commenced  the  old  chapel  of  Rasharkin,  in  the 
townland  of  Moneyleck,  about  1788.  Father  M'Mullan 
celebrated  Mass  within  its  roofless  walls  about  1790,  before 
he  went  to  college,  and  it  was  not  completed  until  after  he 
was  appointed  parish  priest.  It  would  appear  that  it  had 
not  many  j^retentions  to  ai-chitectural  beauty,  as  it  was 
called  from  its  shape  "  the  Bees-cap."  A  new  church 
was  built  on  the  same  site  during  the  incumbency  of  Father 
M'Mullan,  by  his  curate.  Father  Edward  Magreevy,  after- 
wards parish  priest  of  Armoy.  The  foundation-stone  was 
laid  on  1st  of  July,  1845,  and  the  church  was  consecrated 
by  Dr.  Denvir,  on  Sunday,  the  20th  of  September,  1846. 
The  sermon  on  the  occasion  was  pi-eached  by  the  Rev. 
George  Pye,  then  a  professor  in  the  Diocesan  College,  and 
at  -present  the  parish  priest  of  Glenavy ;  he  took  for  his 
text  Psalm  xxviii.  v.  8,  The  collection  amounted  to  £75. 
The  site  of  the  church  and  the  graveyard  attached  to  it — 1 
acre,  1  rood,  and  24  perches,  statute  measure — is  held  by 
prescription. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  1868,  James  ^cheson  Lyle,  Esq., 
granted  to  Dr.  Dorrian  and  E-ev,  Hugh  M'Cann,  P.P., 
Rasharkin,  a  lease  for  ever,  of  one  rood  of  land,  Cunningham 
measui-e,  in  the  townland  of  Maddyduff,  at  10s.  per  annum. 
On  this  site  Father  M'Cann  erected  the  church  of  St. 
Colnmba.  This  church,  which  is  commonly  called  that  of 
"  The  Plains,"  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  on  Sunday, 
the  9  th  of  June,  1872.  The  dedication  sermon  was  preached 
by  Father  Alphonsus  O'lSTeill,  of  the  Order  of  Passionists. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  1875,  Sir  Robert  Bateson  Harvey, 
Bart.,   M.P.,   granted  to  Dr.  Dorrian  and  the  Rev.  Hugh 


86  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

M'Cann,  a  lease  for  99  years,  of  4a.  3r.  2Gp.,  at  £7  per 
annum.  On  this  property,  which  is  separated  by  the  public 
road  from  the  church  of  Rasharkin,  in  Moneyleck,  Father 
M'Cann  erected  the  parochial  house. 

PARISH  PRIESTS. 
The  Rev.  "  Neale  O'lSTeale,"  was  registered  in  1704,  as 
Popish  priest  of  the  parishes  of  Rasharkin,  Finvoy,  and 
Ballymoney;  he  was  then  41  years  of  age,  and  had  been 
ordained  A.D.  1688,  in  Kilkenny,  by  Dr.  James  Phelan, 
Bishop  of  Ossory.  In  1704,  his  sureties  were  Francis 
Hume,  of  Ahoghill,  and  Cornelius  O'Cahan,  of  Ballymoney, 
gentlemen,  who  each  bailed  him  in  .£50.  He  is  returned 
as  residing  in  Galhjnagh,  which  is  intended  for  Caldanagh, 
a  townland  in  the  civil  parish  of  Finvoy,  near  Dunloy.  It  is 
said  that  the  name  of  this  priest  is  entered  in  the  registry 
O'Neale,  by  mistake  for  O'Heale,  the  name  of  a  family  once 
very  influential  in  the  adjoining  parish  of  Kilraghts.  It  is 
said  by  tradition,  that  there  was  a  second  priest  in  these 
parishes  named  O'Heale,  the  other  priest  may  have  been 
the  predecessor  of  Neale  O'Heale,  for  in  the  return  made  to 
Rome,  by  Primate  Oliver  Plunket,  in  1G70,  one  of  the 
priests  of  the  diocese  of  Connor  is  named  Cormac  O'Heale. 
We  have  no  means  of  knowing  the  date  of  the  death  of  the 
Rev.  Neale  O'Neale,  or  O'Heale,  but  tradition  has  preserved 
the  name  of  his  successor,  Patrick  M'Keefry.  About  this 
period  an  immense  district  (including  all  the  County  of  Antrim, 
north  of  Bengore  Head,  round  to  the  Bann),  which  then 
constituted  the  parish  of  Dunluce,  was  added  to  the  -already 
too  extensive  parish  called  Rasharkin.  That  change  occurred 
after  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Christopher  M'Vagh  (M'Vea), 
who  in  1704  resided  in  Ballymagarry,  was  then  50  years  of 


THE  PARISH  OF  RASHARKIN.  87 

age,  and  was  registered  as  "Popish  priesb"  of  Dunluce. 
The  last  Catholic  Earl  of  Antrim,  who  was  Randal  the  4th 
earl,  died  in  1721,  when  his  son,  only  eight  years  of  age, 
and  his  estates  passed  under  the  influence  of  Viscount 
Massereene.  That  change  soon  materially  affected  the 
interests  of  the  Catholic  Church,  to  such  an  extent,  that  few 
Catholics  were  permitted  to  remain  in  the  district ;  and  the 
appointment  or  the  support  of  a  parish  priest  became 
impossible. 

The  Rev.  Arthur  Brenan*  became  parish  priest  in  1756, 
but  according  to  another  account,  he  was  appointed  in  1743. 
Father  Brenan  was  a  native  of  the  parish,  in  the  manage- 
ment of  his  extensive  charge,  he  was  assisted  by  Dominican 
friars  belonging  to  the  Dominican  Convent  of  Coleraine, 
who  lived  scattered  through  the  country,  mostly  in  the 
Ccunty  of  Derry,  but  they  made  occasional  visits  through 
the  Catholic  families  in  the  northern  parts  of  the  County  of 
Antrim  ;  he  was  also  assisted  in  the  Dunluce  district  by 
Fathers   Hugh    MulhoUan,  James   Fegan,   John    Fanning, 

Archibald  Lynn,  Hugh  Green,  M'Cusker,  and  Peter 

M'Mullan.        Father     Brenan,    though    attending    to    his 

*  The  Rev.  Edward  Connor,  P.P.,  Crossgar,  has  a  silver  chalice,  on 
which  is  inscribed — "  Eug.  Brennan  et  Filii  me  fieri  fecerunt,  1677." 
— (Eugene,  or  Owen  Brennan  and  sons  caused  me  to  be  made  1677.) 
Father  Connor  purchased  it  from  the  executors  of  Father  Luke 
Walsh,  P.P.,  Culfeightran,  it  probably  came  to  him  with  the  i^arish 
from  his  predecessor.  Father  Patrick  Brennan,  P.P.,  Culfeightran, 
who  died  in  ISTovember,  1828.  Father  Patrick  was  a  nephew  of 
Father  Arthur  Brennan.  If  there  was  any  priest  named  Brennan 
in  the  diocese,  for  whose  use  we  might  presume,  his  father  and 
brothers  had  caused  this  chalice  to  be  made  in  1677,  his  name  does 
not  occur  in  Primate  Flunket's  list  of  1670,  nor  in  the  roll  of  the 
1704  registration.  There  is  however  a  tradition  that  Father  Arthur 
Brennan  was  a  native  of  the  County  of  Donegal . 


88  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

humble  duties  in  a  remote  pai'ish,  was,  like  his  brethren, 
under  the  watchful  eye  of  the  Government,  as  the  following 
letter  preserved  in  the  State  Paper  Office,  Dublin,  shows  : — 

"  To  the  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Lords, 

"Sir, — Pursuant  to  an  order  of  the  House  of  Lords,  I  send  you 
the  number  of  Protestant  and  Papist  families  in  the  parish  of  Fin- 
voy,  Protestant  families,  234  ;  Papist  families,  71.+  One  Popish 
priest  called  Brenon. 

"  From  your  humble  Servant, 

"  SAMUEL  DUXBAR. 
"Marlbrook,  April  11th,  1766." 

Father  Brenan  passed  out  of  the  reach  of  the  Government 
in  1795,  and  on  his  gravestone  in  the  Catholic  Churchyard 
of  Rasharkin  is  inscribed — 

In  God  is  ail* 

I.H.S. 

Underneath  are  deposited  the  remains  of  the  Rev.  Arthur 

Brenan,  Pastor  of  Rasharkin,  Flnvoy,  and 

Ballymoney,  who  departed  this  UJe.  the  2\st  day  of  Oct., 

1795,  aged  80  years.    Re'iuiescatinpace.    Amen. 

After  the  death  of  Father  Brenan,  the  parish  was  in 
charge  of  his  curates,  Father  M'Cusker,  a  priest  belonging 
to  the  diocese  of  Armagh,  and  Father  Ilugh  Green.  Some- 
time before  this.  Father  Peter  M'Mullan  had  returned  from 
college,  and  he  too  officiated  in  the  parish.  Father  M'Cusker 
was  recalled  to  his  native  diocese.     Father  Green  resided 

*  This  form  of  funereal  inscription  is  very  rave  ;  a  few  years  before 
1854,  during  alterations  in  the  Church  of  All  Saints,  in  Pontefract, 
County  of  York,  a  broken  slab  was  discovered,  upon  which  was  out 
an  archiepicopal  cross.  On  a  circle  on  the  stone  was  in  old  English 
characters— 3(U  COotl  \%  all.  A  writer,  in  Botes  and  (Jvcriex 
Feb.  25th,  1854,  erroneously  supposed  that  it  was  the  gravestone  of 
Archbishop  Thurstan,  who  died  Feb.  5th,  1140. 

t  In  18S1  there  were  in  the  civil  parish  of  Finvoy,  1,503  Catholics,  and  •J,(i9!t 
Protestants. 


THE  PARISH  OF  RASHAllKIN.  89 

in  Rashai-kin,  and  Father  M'MuUan  in  the  Dunluce  district 
until  the  end  of  1799,  when  Father  Green  went  to  otficiate 
in  Lisburn,  and  afterwards  in  Saintfield.  It  was  after 
the  departure  of  Father  Green  that  Father  M'Mullan  re- 
ceived a  collation  to  the  parishes  of  Rasharkin,  Finvoy, 
Ballymoney,  and  the  districts  of  Dunluce.  He  was  a  native 
of  Dunbeg,  in  the  parish  of  Loughguile  ;  was  ordained  in 
Erinagh,  by  Dr.  Hugh  MacMullan,  in  1789  ;  was  appointed 
administrator  of  Armoy,  and  afterwards  for  some  little  time 
he  assisted  Father  Brenan  in  Rasharkin.  He  received  a 
letter  from  Dr.  Hugh  MacMullan,  dated  5th  of  August, 
1792,  recommending  him  to  the  Archbishop  of  Lisbon,  that 
he  might  prosecute  his  j^hilosophical  and  theological  studies 
in  the  college  of  Lisbon.  Father  M'Mullan,  however,  it 
seems,  could  not  obtain  admission  into  that  college,  and 
he  proceeded  to  the  college  of  St,  Thomas,  in  Seville,  in 
Spain,  where  he  studied  three  years.  We  give  here  Dr. 
MacMullan's  letter,  as  a  specimen  of  the  class  of  letters, 
which  the  Irish  ecclesiastical  students  of  that  period  carried 
with  them,  when  they  went  to  seek  from  the  charity  of  the 
continental  colleges  an  education  in  philosophy  and  theology, 
which,  on  account  of  the  misfortunes  of  their  own  country, 
could  not  be  obtained  at  home. 

Hugo,  Dei  et  Sanctse  Sedis  Apostolicag  gratia,  Diocesium  Canonice 
Unitarum  Uunensis  and  Conorensis  Episcopus,  Dilecto  iiobia  in 
Christo  Magistro  Petro  M'Mullan  Diocesis  nostrpe  Connorensis 
Salutem  in  Domino  Sempiternam. 

Cum  jam  a  Sfeculo  et  ultra,  probe  notum  sit,  nulla  in  patria  nostra 
afSicta  haberi  Seminaria  pro  instituenda  Juventute  nostra  in  studiis 
Philosophicis  aut  Theologicis  ;  hinc,  tenore  pneseutium  tibi  pr^fato 
Petro  M'Mullan  Rite  et  Canonice  ad  omnes  minores  ordines  et  ad 
Presbyteratum  inclusive  legitime  ordinato  facaltatem  impertimus 
migrandi  ab  hoc  regno  Hyberuias  ad  loca  transmarina  cursum 
Philosophicum  et   Theologicum  perfecturo  ;  teque,    tanquam   vitpe 


90  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

innocentife  et  bonis  moribus  prpeditum  et  ex  tua  bona  conversatione 
et  fama  commendabilem,  omnibus  Ordinariis  locorum  ad  quos  in 
itinera    contingat   ac   precipue   Seminariorum    Rectoribus    etiamvis 

commendamus Insuper  cum  debito  obsequio  et  honore  petimus 

et  obsecramus  Reverendissimum  et  Eminentissimum  Archiepiscopum 
Hispalensen,  ut  supradictum  Reverendum  Petrum  sub  tutela  miseri- 
cordice  ejus  in  CoUegio  Hispalensi  aut  alibi  ad  cursum  Philosophicum 
et  Theologicum  perficiendum  stabilire  dignaretur.  &c.  In  quorum 
omnium  fidem  manu  propria  subscripsimus  et  sigillum  ordinarium 
appendi  curavimus  hac  quinta  Augusti  die  1792. 

Hugo  Dunensis  and  Conorensis  Episcopus. 
Testibus  ad  prcemissa  vocatis Jacobo  O'Ferral,  Josepbo  Clinch. 

Father  M'Mullan,  aftex-  his  appointment  to  Rasharkin, 
completed  the  chapel  of  Rasharkin,  and  erected  a  similar 
structure  in  Bally  money.  Daring  1811,  he  administered,  in 
addition  to  his  extensive  charge,  the  parish  of  Duneane, 
which  was  then  vacant.  See  Vol.  III.  p.  357.  He  was 
offered  that  parish  bnt  declined  to  accept  it.  He  wrote  to 
the  Eev.  Peter  M'Naliy,  who  was  then  only  a  few  months 
ordained,  and  was  staying  with  his  relatives  in  Loughguile, 
the  following  letter  : — 

•'  Rev.  Sir,— As  my  parishioners  here  are  so  much  attached  to  me, 
and  have  been  so  importunate  all  this  week  in  tlieir  entreaties  that 
I  should  stay  with  them,  I  have  consented  to  do  so ;  therefore,  do 
not  come  here  next  Sunday,  but  give  my  compts.  to  Mr.  Murray, 
and  tell  him,  that  in  compliance  with  the  hearers  importunity  I  have 
changed  my  mind,  and  have  written  to  the  Bishop  to  that  purport. 
I  tliink  you  and  he  may  have  Uuueane  to  yourselves. 

"  I  remain,  Rev,  Sir,  yours  sincerely, 

"PETER  M'MULLAN. 
"R.vsiiARKix,  22nd  Nov.,  ISll." 

About  this  period,  or  shortly  afterwards,  liallymoney  be- 
came practically  under  the  charge  of  the  resident  curate, 
who  attended  the  chapels  of  Ballymoney  and  Bushmills. 
Father  Arthur  O'Neill,  who  was  appointed  in  1815,  seemed 
from  his  account  book,  which   is  still  in  existence  to  have 


THE  PARISH  OF  RASHARKIN.  91 

been  in  no  way  connected  with  Rasliarkin,  though  it  is 
certain  that  Father  Henry  M'Loughlin,  who  was  appointed 
in  1825,  was  the  first  parish  priest  of  Ballymoney.  Father 
M'Mullan  died  towards  the  end  of  1846,  and  was  interred  in 
the  Chnrch  on  the  Epistle  side  of  the  Altar,  which  at  that 
time  was  along  the  north  sidewall.  After  his  death,  the 
parish  was  administered  by  his  curate,  Father  Edward 
M'Greevy,  until  Father  M-Cartan  was  appointed  to  the 
vacant  parish. 

The  Kev.  William  M'Cartan,  a  native  of  Castlewellan, 
entered  the  Rhetoric  Class,  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  on 
the  25th  of  August,  1826,  being  then  in  the  17th  year  of 
his  age  ;  was  ordained  in  Belfast,  by  I>r.  CroUy,  in  October, 
1832  ;  was  shortly  afterwards  appointed  curate  of  Down- 
patrick;  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Ballymoney,  on 
the  8th  of  March,  1837  ;  was  appointed  parish  priest  of 
Rasharkin,  in  September,  1847.  He  died  on  the  23rd  of 
May,  1864,  and  was  interi-ed  in  the  Church  on  the  Gospel 
side  of  the  former  Altar. 

After  the  death  of  Father  M'Cartan,  the  eastern  portions 
of  the  parish  attached  to  the  church  of  Dunloy  were  con- 
stituted into  a  separate  parish,  of  which  Father  Close  was 
apppointed  parish  priest,  and  the  western  parts  of  the 
parish  were  constituted  into  the  parish  of  Rasharkin,  as  at 
present  arranged,  to  which  the  Rev.  Hugh  M'Cann  was 
appointed. 

Father  M'Cann  was  a  native  of  the  townland  of  Bally- 
lough,  in  the  parish  of  Kilmegan  ;  after  having  studied  in 
the  Diocesan  College,  he  entered  the  Rhetoric  Class,  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  on  the  27th  of  September,  1844 ;  was 
ordained  in  the  College  Chapel,  on  the  2nd  of  June,  1849, 
by   Dr.    Murray  ;    was  a[)pointed   curate  of   Ballymena   in 


92  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

October,  1849  ;  parish  priest  of  Portrush  in  March,  1852, 
and  parish  priest  of  Easharkin,  on  the  18th  of  June,  1864. 
Father  M'Cann  was  appointed  to  the  parish  of  Duneane,  on 
the  5th  of  April,  1877. 

The  Eev.  William  Curoe,  P.P.,  Dunloy  (see  p.  65). 
succeeded  Father  M'Cann.  He  died  of  disease  of  the  heart, 
on  the  30th  of  December,  1882,  and  was  interred  in  the 
Church  beside  the  remains  of  Father  M'Cartan. 

Father  Thomas  Quin,  the  present  parish  priest  succeeded 
Father  Curoe.  He  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Moincoin, 
County  Kilkenny,  on  the  5th  of  June,  1846  ;  studied  in  the 
Diocesan  College  of  Kilkenny,  which  he  entered  in  Januaiy, 
1861  ;  entered  the  Rhetoric  Class  in  the  College  of  May- 
nooth,  August  25th,  1865  ;  was  ordained  on  the  31st  of 
May,  1871,  in  Maynooth,  by  Dr.  Lynch,  Bishop  of  Kildare; 
was  appointed  curate  of  Randalstown,  September  3rd,  1871  ; 
curate  of  St.  Peter's  Belfast,  July  1st,  1873  ;  curate  of  St. 
Patrick's  Belfast,  in  February,  1882;  from  which  he  was 
promoted  to  Easharkin,  on  the  16th  of  February,  1883. 


THE  PARISH  OF  LOUGHGUILE. 


THE  parish  of  Longhguile  comprises  the  most  of  the  civil 
parish  of  Loughguile  and  a  large  part  of  that  of 
Kilraghts  :  the  remainder  of  these  parishes  are  included  in 
the  parish  of  Duuloy  and  Cloughmills, 

There  are  in  the  civil  parish  of  Loughguile  the  sites  of 
several  churches,  the  principal  one  occupied  the  site,  in 
townland  of  Lower  Lavin,  on  which  Lord  Macartney  built 
the  Protestant  church,  which  was  erected  on  the  founda- 
tions of  an  older  Protestant  church  erected  about  1733. 
It  is  close  to  the  edge  of  Loughguile  lough,  but  no 
remnants  of  the  ancient  church  remain.  It  was  valued  in 
the  Taxation  of  Fope  Nicholas  under  the  name  of  "Ecclesia 
de  Loghkell"  at  £28,  which  was  the  highest  valuation  placed 
on  any  church  in  the  diocese  of  Conner  except  the  church 
of  Billy.  In  1305,  the  advowson  of  the  church  oi  Loglikel 
was  granted  to  Richard  de  Burgo,  Earl  of  Ulster. — Inq. 
ad  quod  damn.  33  Ed.  1,  No.  177.  In  J  333,  William  de 
Burgo  was  seized  of  the  advowson  of  the  church  of  Loglikd, 
which,  according  to  an  early  extent,  was  worth,  in  the  time 
of  peace,  100s,  but  nothing  then — Inq.  P.  M.  In  other 
records  the  name  assumes  the  various  forms,  '  Loghgeile,' 
'  Loghgoyle,'  '  LoughgilL'  The  Terrier  enters  "  Ecclesia  de 
Loghkeil — Paronage  and  Vicarage — hath  |  one  town  in  glebe- 
Proxies,  20/- ;  Refections,  20/- ;  Synodals,  2/-."  The  Ulster 
Visitation  reports  "  Ecclesia  de  Loghgoyle  decayed."     The 


94  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

ancient  graveyard  is  still  extensively  used  by  the  Catholics, 
in  it  many  priests  of  Loughguile  and  the  surrounding 
parishes  are  interred.  Here  is  interred  Father  Patrick 
M'Henry,  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominick,  who  died  parish 
priest  of  Glenravel  ;  his  monument  is  inscribed — 

Here  lieth  the  body  of  Rev.  Patrick  M'Kendry, 

loho  departed  this  life,  13th  March,  1797. 

Aged  77. 

There  is  here  a  mistake  with  regard  to  his  age,  for  De 
Burgo,  in  his  Hihernia  Dominicana,  says — that  he  made 
his  profession  in  1741,  being  then  in  the  27th  year  of  his 
age,  he  therefore  died  aged  83  years.  See  Down  and 
Connor,  Yol.  III.,  p.  471-2. 

There  is  an  ancient  graveyard  in  the  townland  of  IMoney- 
neagh,  called  Lignakillagh.  It  is  raised  above  the  field, 
nearly  circular  and  75  feet  in  diameter.  The  graveyax'd 
has  no  boundary  fence  ;  there  are  no  headstones,  and  it  is 
only  used  for  the  interment  of  unbaptized  children.  It  is 
situated  near  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  in  a  farm,  wliich  in 
1837,  belonged  to  Duncan  Casey.  See  Ordnance  Survey/ 
Memoir  MS.  The  graveyard  is  marked  on  the  Ordnance 
Map,  No.  23. 

In  the  townland  of  Culbane  there  is  a  graveyard  in  a 
farm,  which  1837  belonged  to  Daniel  iM'Michael.  It  is 
situated  near  a  stream  and  about  10  perches  east  of  tlie 
road  leading  past  tlie  west  side  of  Lisanoure  demesne.  The 
graveyard  is  somewhat  oval,  75  feet  by  46  feet,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  low  earthen  parapet,  at  an  average  3  feet 
thick,  and  1  foot  G  inches  high;  at  the  entrance  there  are 
two  pillar  stones,  the  largest  2  feet  9  inches  high,  2  feet 
broad  and  1  foot  thick  ;  the  other  not  so  large.  The  entrance 
is   on   the   west  side,  and   near  the  east  side  is  a  cairn  of 


THE  PARISH  OF  LOUGHGUILE.  95 

stones.  At  the  distance  of  40  perches  north  there  is  the 
site  of  a  cashiol ;  both  the  graveyard  and  the  site  of  the 
cashiol  are  mai-ked  on  the  Ordnance  Map^  Sheet  .  13.  The 
townland  of  Friary,  which  adjoins  Culbane  on  the  east  side, 
seems  to  have  been  named  from  whatever  ecclesiastical 
edifice  stood  in  Culbane  ;  for  no  trace  of  a  religious  house 
has  been  discovered  in  Friary. 

At  the  distance  of  about  a  mile  from  Culbane  ^  Kill' 
there  is  another  ancient  graveyard,  also  called  a  '  Kill,'  in 
the  townland  of  Carivcashel.  It  is  situated  on  a  high  bank 
about  ten  perches  west  of  the  road  leading  from  Loughguile 
to  Armoy,  and  is  in  the  farm,  which,  in  1837,  belonged  to 
Alexander  M'Donnell.  The  site  of  the  graveyard  is  nearly 
an  oval  of  56  feet  by  46  feet,  but  is  not  surrounded  by  a 
boundary  fence.  In  the  same  townland  there  are  the 
remains  of  a  cashiol,  or  circular  stone  fort;  the  wall  is  of 
the  usual  cyclopian  style,  averaging  from  3  to  5  feet  in 
height,  composed  of  stones,  of  very  unequal  dimensions,  and 
eai'th.  Along  the  foundation  of  the  wall  the  stones  are 
more  regularly  laid  and  are  more  uniform  in  size.  The 
elevated  platform  on  which  it  stands  seems  composed  of 
small  stones  with  earth  intermixed.  A  cave  extends  under 
the  cashiol,  and  at  the  distance  of  10  perches  east  of  the 
cashiol  a  paved  hearth  was  discovered.  In  this  townland, 
and  in  Carrowcrin  which  adjoins  it,  stone  weapons  are 
frequently  found. 

There  is  a  graveyard  called  a  Mill,  in  the  townland  ot 
Knocknahinch,  about  20  yards  north-east  of  a  bye-road 
leading  from  the  Armoy  road  to  the  Ballymoney  road ;  it  is 
situated  on  the  side  of  a  small  ravine  in  the  farm,  which  in 
1837  belonged  to  John  M'Neill.  The  graveyard  is  used  for 
the    interment    of  unbaptized    children    and   of   very    poor 


96  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOE. 

people  ;  it  is  oval  shaped,  measures  75  feet  by  59  feet,  and 
is  bounded  by  a  fence  two  feet  high  of  earth  and  stones. 
There  is  an  artificial  cave  about  25  yards  to  the  north, 
which  extends  in  a  westerly  direction,  but  its  roof  has 
fallen  in.  Caves  and  casiols  in  the  vicinity  of  sites  of 
ancient  churches  indicate  that  they  were  once  the  centres 
of  villages,  for  the  protection  of  whose  inhabitants  these 
military  works  were  erected.  In  1817,  there  was  found  at 
the  bottom  of  an  old  ditch  near  the  graveyard  of  Knockna- 
hinch,  but  in  Ballybregagh  townland,  two  stones  each  about 
two  feet  square,  one  placed  on  the  top  of  the  other.  A 
hollow  space  scooped  out  of  the  lower  stone  was  filled  with 
coins  of  different  sizes,  some  of  gold,  but  chiefly  of  silver, 
they  were  sold  in  Belfast  for  £18.  A  cashiol  which  stood 
near  the  edge  of  a  bog  in  Ballybregagh  was  destroyed  about 
the  year  1780  ;  from  it  three  well-paved  causeways  extended, 
but  not  a  trace  of  it  now  remains. 

It  is  probable  that  the  site  of  a  church  and  cemetery 
might  be  discovered  in  Tobernagola,  or  in  the  adjoining 
townland  of  Kilmoyangey  in  the  civil  parish  of  Kilraghts. 
There  is  a  hill  in  Kilmoyangey  called  Drumgola  Hill,  which 
seems  to  indicate  that  both  townlands  once  formed  one. 
Kil,  in  the  name  of  the  one  townland,  and  Tober,  in  that  of  the 
other,  seem  to  indicate  a  church  and  a  holy  well.  There  is 
a  pagan  funereal  monument,  commonly  called  a  "  Giant's 
Bed,"  in  the  townland  of  Tobernagola.  It  is  situated  on 
a  lieathery  hill  10  perches  east  of  the  leading  road  from 
Ballymoney  to  Cloughmills,  and  in  the  farm,  which  in  1837 
belonged  to  William  M'Loughlin.  *•  The  bed  is  48  feet 
long,  by  8  feet  wide,  and  5  feet  deep,  up  to  the  shouldeis  and 
head ;  the  additional  part  is  21  feet  leng  by  8  feet  wide, 
composed  of  earth  and  stones."    Ordnance  Sm-vey  Memoir  MS. 


THE  PARISH  OF  LOUGHGUILE.  97 

There  is,  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountain  in  Love's 

Corkey,  the  site  of  a  church  named  Kilwee  (Cill-bhuidhe 

"the  yellow  church,")  one  of  the  most  lonely  spots  in 
Ireland,  a  place  well  fitted  for  seclusion  and  prayer. 

In  Ballybradden  there  is  the  site  of  a  church,  where 
human  bones  are  frequently  turned  up,  but  it  is  now  under 
tillage.  It  is  called  Kiltoorish — Cill-turuis,  "  the  church  of 
the  jnlgrimage " — and  is  situated  in  a  field  belonging  to 
J.  &  R.  O'Kane,  Wine  Merchants,  Belfast.  The  site  adjoins 
the  field  in  which  Charles  M'Nally  found  the  oval  shaped 
stone  mentioned  in  p.  99,  which  is  supposed  to  be  lying 
among  stones  in  the  ditch  of  the  field.  There  is  a  cave  near 
Kiltoorish,  in  the  farm  of  Patrick  M 'Shane ;  and  in  the 
same  farm  there  was  a  well,  now  closed  up,  which  was 
supposed  to  have  been  a  Holy  Well.  About  a  mile  to  the 
east  of  it  there  is  on  the  mountain  a  remarkable  well,  called 
the  Pin-Well,  which  is  so  named  because  people  after 
drinking  from  it  throw  a  pin  into  it. 

Drumkeel  is  entered  on  the  map  in  Tully  South,  but 
there  do  not  seem  to  be  any  indications  of  a  Christian 
cemetery.  Urns  have  been  found  on  the  hill,  in  a  field 
belonging  to  John  M'Aleece, 

There  is,  in  the  farm  of  Peter  Guthrie,  in  Pharis,  a  field 
called  "the  graveyard  field,"  where  human  bones  and  the 
remains  of  coffins  are  turned  up. 

Traces  of  a  cemetery  and  church  might  also  be  looked  for 
in  Kingarrifi",  which  in  Lendrick's  Map  of  the  County  of 
Antrim,  published  in  1780,  is  called  Kilgarrif,  its  name  and 
that  of  the  adjoining  townland  of  Clonty finnan  seem  to 
indicate  ecclesiastical  origin,  Mr.  J.  Bleakly  of  the 
Ordnance  Survey,  ho-vever,  writes  in  1837,  "I  have  care- 
fully examined  Kingarrifi",  Clontyfinnan    East   and    West, 


98  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

Coolkeeran,  Knocknavrinnan,  Lisnisk,  Drumnafivej,  Bally- 
taggavt,  and  Drumdallagh,  and  I  find  nothing  in  any  of 
them  worth  notice."  Notwithstanding  this  statement  there 
is  even  marked  upon  the  six  inch  scale  Ordnance  Map  No. 
18^  in  Knockavrinnan — "  Kildress,  a  graveyard  for  children." 
This  site  of  an  ancient  church  is  on  the  bank  of  the  Bush 
E,iver,  about  32  perches  south  of  Knockavriunan  Bridge. 
The  following  is  from  the  Ordnance  Memoir  MS.  : — 
There  is  a  remarkably  high  and  perfect  earthen  rath  situated  near 
a  flow  bog  on  the  farm  of  Patrick  Owen  M'llhatton,  in  Ihe  townland 
of  Carnamenagh.  On  the  highest  part  of  the  parapet  he  has  put 
up  a  very  conspicuous  stone,  which  he  has  painted.  There  is  an 
artificial  cave  in  the  farm  of  Archy  M'Neill,  in  the  townland  of 
Drumrankin.  It  consists  of  several  rooms,  each  about  12  feet  long, 
3  feet  9  inches  high,  and  2  feet  wide  ;  a  part  of  it  has  been  destroyed. 
There  is  a  high  rath  in  the  same  townland,  in  the  farm  of  James 
Wallace,  There  is  a  very  high  standing  stone  in  the  farm  of  William 
Hannah,  in  the  townland  of  Oorkey.  This  stone  is  S  feet  3  inches 
high,  3  feet  broad  and  2  feet  thick.  On  the  same  farm  there  is 
another  standing  stone  about  40  perches  NN.W.  of  an  old-fashioned 
dwelling-house  called  Love's  Castle  ;  it  is  7  feet  high,  3  feet  broad 
by  about  2  feet  thick.  Two  other  standing  stones  formerly  stood 
near  this  but  they  are  now  placed  in  a  stone  ditch  about  30  yards 
north  of  their  original  position.  There  is  another  standing  stone 
in  the  same  townland  seven  fields  south  of  this  in  the  farm  of 
Samuel  Mathews  ;  it  stands  7  feet  high  and  is  of  about  the  same 
proportions  as  those  already  described.  In  the  same  farm  and 
townland  there  is,  in  a  stone  ditch,  another  standing  stone  situated 
at  a  short  distance  from  the  last  mentioned  stone  ;  it  is  5  feet  in 
height  but  in  other  respects  it  is  nearly  of  the  same  dimensions 
as  those  already  described.  There  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  Archy 
Clarke  but  it  is  closed  up.  There  was  formerly,  at  a  rock  in  Corkey, 
a  place,  now  destroyed,  called"  Shane- A-Cunnen's  Den,"  said  to  have 
been  the  lurking  place  of  a  locally  celebrated  outlaw.  "  Phelimy 
Roe's  cairn*  is  situated  near  the  summit  of  Ora  Mountain,  in  the 
townland  of  Altavecdan,  about  half  a  mile  S.E.  of  the  road  leading 
from  Armoy  to  Clough,  as  the  chieftain  lay  wounded  on  the  mountain 
*  The  tradition  is,  tlmt  this  is  Hugh  MacFdim's  Cairn.  (See  p.  10.)  It  is  marketl 
on  the  Ordnitnce  Map—"  Uugh  MauFelini's  Grave. 


THE  PARIS3H  OP  LOUGHGUILE.  99 

he  wrote  with  a  sharp  pointed  insbrument  some  letters  on  a  stone 
which  still  remain  at  the  cairn  to  be  deciphered."  (Informants, 
AVilliam  Sullivan,  farmer,  and  Oliver  Read,  blacksmith.)  In  the 
townland  of  Ballyknock  there  is  an  artificial  cave  in  each  of  the 
farms  of  Francis  O'Kane,  Robert  Magowar,  and  John  M'Mullan.  A 
standing  stone  called  "  The  Cannon  Stone,"  stands  on  the  Cannon 
Hill,  on  the  farm  of  Patrick  Skelly  ;  it  is  5  feet  9  inches  in  height, 
and  1  foot  3  inches  broad,  and  a  little  more  than  a  foot  thick,  and 
stands  in  an  inclining  position  leaning  towards  the  north.  There 
is  a  standing  stone  20  perches  north  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  6 
yards  west  of  the  road  leading  from  Ballycastle  to  Clough,  on  the 
farm  of  Daniel  M'Cormick,  in  Tully  North.  It  is  54  feet  high,  and 
2  feet  broad,  and  1  foot  6  inches  thick.  There  is  another  on  the 
same  side  of  the  road,  a  short  distance  from  the  previous  stone,  and 
in  a  stone  ditch,  in  the  farm  of  James  M  'Fall,  in  the  townland  of 
Ballybradden .  This  is  4  feet  8  high,  2  feet  broad,  and  1  foot  thick. 
An  oval  shaped  stone  about  20  pounds  weight,  girt  with  2  brass 
bands  intersecting  each  other  at  right  angles,  and  inscribed  with 
figures  or  letters  was  found  in  1836,  by  Charles  M 'Anally,  on  his 
farm  in  Ballybradden.  It  is  lying  somewhere  about  his  house  but 
cannot  at  present  (1837)  be  found.  In  the  farm  of  Andrew  Duncan, 
in  the  townland  of  Lavan,  there  is  a  stone  called  Fin  Macool's  Stone,* 
about  50  perches  S.E.  of  the  road  from  Ballymoney  to  Lisanour 
Castle  ;  it  is  54  feet  long,  34  feet  broad,  and  2  feet  high.  "It  is 
said  that  it  gives  name  to  the  townland,  and  that  it  was  so-called,  be- 
cause when  Fin  M'Cool  died  and  before  he  was  buried,a  woman  taking 
hold  of  his  hand  cried  out,  Lav.  Fin — '  The  hand  of  Fin.'  "  There 
were  formerly  three  other  stones  at  this  spot,  but  in  1813  Andrew 
Duncan  removed  them,  under  one  of  them  he  found  an  cinerary  urn. 
In  the  demense  of  Mr.  Macartney,  on  a  hill  S.  W.  of  the  castle,  there 
is  a  cave,  consisting  of  two  rooms  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  one 
room  is  25  feet,  2J  feet  wide,  and  4  feet  high  ;  the  other  is  13  feet 
long,  the  entrance  to  the  outer  room  is  15  inches  square.  There  was 
an  extensive  cave  at  the  house  of  James  Luske,  in  Knockahollet, 
which  had  seven  rooms,  but  it  was  destroyed  about  1807,  when  he 
was  building  his  house  ;  human  bones  were  found  in  it.  There  is  a 
cave  in  Widow  M'MuUan's  farm,  near  Mr.  Macartney's  planting. 
There  is  an  earthen  fort  in  "Widow  Kane's  farm  in  Knockahollet, 
and  another  in  the  farm  of  James  M'Aleece,  in  Lisanisk  ;  there  was 
a  cave  at  the  east  side  of  the  fort  but  it  has  been  destroyed.  There 
"  This  stone  has  been  removed  about  three  years  ago. 


100  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

is  a  cave  in  an  earthen  fort  which  is  in  the  farm  of  William  Huey, 
in  Ballyweany  ;  it  is  14  feet  long,  5  feet  high,  and  3  feet  broad,  and 
consists  of  one  room  ;  the  entrance  to  it  is  1  foot  6  inches  wide,  and  1 
foot  high.  There  are  two  caves  in  the  farm  of  Mr.  Stevelly,  of 
Checker  Hall,  in  Ballyweany  ;  and  another  in  the  farm  of  Alexander 
Kerr,  of  Ballyweany.  There  is  a  cave  behind  Robert  Edmonstone  s 
house  in  Lislabban,  about  20  yards  south-east  of  the  road  from 
Cloughmills  to  Lisanour  Castle.  There  is  an  extensive  cave  in  the 
farm  of  John  Stewart,  in  the  townland  of  Turnacreagh  ;  it  is  about 
20  yards  south-east  of  the  road  leading  from  Cloughmills  to  Lisnoure 
Castle,  In  Turnacreagh  there  are  also  a  number  of  caves  situated 
in  very  low  ground,  in  the  farm  of  Archy  M'Kenna,  near  the  planting 
at  the  castle.  It  is  said  by  tradition  that  there  was  a  castle  in  the 
farm  of  Samuel  Kirkpatrick,'in  the  townland  of  Ballynagashel,  but 
not  a  vestige  of  it  remains  ;  the  townland  is  named  f roin  a  cashiol, 
a  part  of  which  still  remains  though  much  injured.  This  cyclopian 
fort  is  similar  to  that  in  Carrowcashel ;  there  is  said  to  be  an  ex- 
tensive cave  under  it,  but  the  people  are  unwilling  that  it  should  be 
opened.  At  a  short  distance  north  of  Ballyhoe  Bridge,  but  in  the 
townland  of  Magherahoney,  there  is  a  standing  stone  called  St. 
Patrick  ;  it  is  said  that  it  was  so-named  by  a  body  of  Freemasons 
some  years  before  1S37.  It  is  9  feet  three  inches  high,  2  feet  broad, 
and  1  foot  thick,  and  stands  about  20  yards  east  of  the  road.  There 
is  an  earthen  rath  of  remarkable  form  called  Doonavernon,  situated 
on  flat  ground  in  the  townland  of  Shanes.  A  sword  and  an  iron  pot 
were  found  in  a  cave  in  the  townland  of  Shanes. 

A  Pipe  Koll,  preserved  in  the  Irish  Exchequer  Record 
Office,  gives  an  account  of  receipts  from  from  certain  manors 
in  Dahiada  from  the  year  1259  to  1262,  when  the  lands  of 
the  earldom  of  Ulster  were  temporally  in  the  possession  of 
the  Crown.  In  it  is  entered  the  item — "  £Qi  lis  4d  of  the 
assessed  rent  of  Lochkel  with  the  demesnes  thereof  put  to 
farm  for  the  same  time."  Ulster  Journal  of  Arcluvology, 
Vol.  III.,  p.  162. 

The  castle  of  Loughguile  is  said  to  have  been  built  by 
Richard  de  Burgo,  called  from  the  colour  of  his  hair,  the 
"  Red  Earl"  of  Ulster,  who  died  a. D.  132G  ;  though  others 


THE  PARISH  OF  LOUGHGUILE.  101 

ascribe  its  erection  to  Sir  Philip  Savage,  the  father  of  Sir 
Robert,  who  died  in  1390.  The  Earls  of  Ulster  were 
possessed  of  all  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  Loughguile  ;  we 
have  seen  that  the  advowson  of  the  church  of  Loughguile 
was  granted  in  1305  to  Richard  de  Burgo.  After  the 
murder,  in  1333,  of  William  de  Burgo,  called  also  from  the 
colour  of  his  hair — the  dun,  or  brown  earl,  an  Inquisition 
was  taken  concerning  his  possessions  in  the  "  Comitatus  de 
Coulrath,"  or  County  of  Coleraine,  when,  among  other  of  his 
possessions,  are  mentioned  "  Loghkel  (Loughguile)  Corcagh, 
Ever-Corcagh  (Corkey)  Villa  Cryngel  (Moyangey  ?),  Villa  de 
Knogh  (Ballyknock)  .  .  .  Clantyfynan  (Clontyfinnan),  «fec." 
Erom  the  earls  of  Ulster  the  possession  of  the  district  passed 
by  some  means,  whether  of  relationship  or  of  conquest,  which 
cannot  be  ascertained,  to  the  MacQuillins,  who  became 
lords  of  the  Route.  During  the  sanguinaiy  struggles  that 
endangered  the  Anglo-Norman  supremacy  in  Ireland^  the 
Red  Earl  of  Ulster  brought  into  the  Route  a  branch  of  the 
O'Haras,  of  Leyny,  in  the  County  of  Sligo,  who  afterwards 
became  possessed  of  extensive  tracts  of  land  in  the  parishes 
of  Loughguile  and  Dunaghy,  as  well  as  of  their  possessions 
in  Crebilly.  Dr.  O'Donovan  states  that  they  are  descended 
from  "  Hugh,  the  brother  of  Conor  Gott  O'Hara,  Lord  of 
Leyny,  who  died  in  the  year  1231.  This  branch  removed  to 
Dalriada,  with  the  Red  Earl  of  Ulster."  It  would  seem 
however,  that  it  was  in  much  more  recent  times,  that  the 
O'Haras  became  possessed  of  the  castle  of  Loughguile. 
When  Sussex,  Queen  Mary's  Irish  deputy  passed  through 
Loughguile,  from  Coleraine  to  Glenarm,  in  1556,  the 
pursuivant,  who  recorded  the  events  of  that  expedition, 
relates  : — 

"  Tuesday,  the  XXIth  of  July,  my  Lord  Deputy  removed  from  Coll- 


102  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

rahin  and  came  to  My  Avre  (Moyaver  in  the  parish  of  Armoy),  by  a 
river  and  church  called  Auramyn  (Armoy),  and  there  camped  yt  night. 
This  day  Brian  M'Nell  Oge  (O'Neill)  tooke  a  great  prey  of  Kyneand 
Garrens,  and  this  day  ye  Earl  of  Ormond  had  the  vangard  towards 
Glynnes,  in  M'Guillen's  County,  called  ye  Roote.  Wensday,  ye 
XXIIth  of  July,  my  Lord  Deputy  removed  from  My  Avre,  and  came 
to  Mahre-Unahta,  or  Abbey  Kera.by  a  river  called  Uuaht  Kerahe,  and 
a  lough  and  their  camped  yt  night.  This  day  wee  came  by  a  castle  of 
M'Guillen's  beeing  left  on  our  righthand,  called  Caslan  Loughe 
Keoule  (Castle  of  Loughguile),  the  v^^ch  was  made  by  ye  red  earle, 
and  allso  a  fayle  great  causy,  or  high  gravelled  way  ;  allso  wee  coming 
to  our  camp  came  over  a  little  Bowrne  called  Unahe-Braddagh. 
Thursday,  ye  XXIIIth  of  July,  my  Lord  deputy  removed  from 
Mahere-Unaha  and  came  to  Glaune  Arne  (Glenarm.")* 

It  would  appear  that  the  castle  of  Loughguile  had  not 
in  1566  yet  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  O'Haras. 
Somhairle  Buidhe  (Sorley  Boy.)  M'Donnell,  about  the 
year  1554,  took  forcible  possession  of  the  Route,  and  in  1586, 
having  submitted  to  Queen  Elizabeth  he  received  a  grant 
of  the  four  tuoghs,  or  districts  of  the  Route,  one  of  which 
was  that  of  Loghill  (Loughguile),  and  his  son^  Randal 
obtained  in  1603  a  plenary  grant  of  the  Route  and  Glynnes. 

*  Mahere-unahta  at  first  sight  seems  to  be  Magherahoney,  near 
which  is  the  site  of  an  ancient  church  in  Culbane,  and  the  adjoining 
townland  is  Friary,  which  might  be  supposed  to  be  "  Abby  Kera," 
but  Magherahoney  is  not  two  miles  from  Armoy,  and  on  the  next 
day  the  Deputy  arrived  at  Glenarm.  It  is  obvious  that  the  march 
was  along  the  present  road  leading  past  the  Catholic  church  of  Lough- 
guile,  in  the  direction  of  Clough  ;  they  crossed  the  Unahe-Braddagh, 
which  seems  the  Braid  River —  Unahe  is  the  Irish  Amhain  (pronounced 
Oivin — "a  river."  They  seemed  to  have  camped  in  the  Braid,  in 
sight  of  the  church  of  Skerry,  which  may  be  the  ' '  Abby  Kera. "  The 
pursuivant  paid  little  attention  to  the  correct  orthography  of  the 
Irish  topographical  names.  The  numerous  standing  stones  at  the 
Canon  Hill,  Corkey  and  other  places  through  the  parish  seem  to 
indicate  "the  fayle  great  causy  or  high  gravelled  way,"  which  in 
ancient  times  led  from  Armoy  to  the  Braid,  and  had  the  castle  of 
Loughguile  on  the  righthand  side. 


THE    PARISH  OF    LOUGHGUILE.  103 

The  O'Haras  were  already  in  possession  of  Lougbguile, 
nevertheless  their  lands  were  included  in  the  original  grant 
to  Sir  Kandal,  but  by  an  implied  contract  he  was  to  convey 
to  Cahall  O'Hara  the  lands  of  Loughguile.  When  Sir 
Randal  was  abovit  to  obtain  a  confirmation  of  his  lands 
O'Hara  opposed  the  gi-ant  until  the  conveyance  would  be 
made.  Sir  Randal  to  obviate  the  danger  of  delay  granted 
to  O'Hara  the  lands  which  at  present  constitute  the  Macartney 
estate,  reserving  a  chiefry  of  twenty  pounds  per  annum. 
It  was  arranged  that  if  this  district  included  more  than 
four  and  a  half  townlands  the  overplus  should  be  returned 
by  O'Hara.  In  1633  the  Earl  appealed  to  the  King  to 
compel  O'Hara  to  restore  the  surplus,  but  though  the  Lord 
Deputy  and  several  state  officials  interfered,  O'Hara  retained 
the  lands.  An  Inquisition  taken  at  the  Sessions  Hall, 
Carrickfergus,  on  the  24th  April,  1641,  found  that  Cahill 
O'Hara,  in  addition  to  other  properties,  was  seized  of 
Moyaver,  Clontyfinnan,  Ballyveely,  "  Loghgile^  otherwise 
Tullyclosse,  Dromheilen,  Leganlie,  and  Corkee/'  that  "  fore- 
said Cahell  O'Hara,  died  on  the  22nd  of  March,  1639  (1640), 
that  Teige  O'Hara  is  his  great  grandson  and  heir,  and  that 
foresaid  Teige  was  then  of  full  age  and  married.  The  pre- 
mises are  held  of  the  King  by  Knights  Service.  (For  an 
account  of  Teige's  management  of  his  affair?  see  Vol,  III., 
p.  426,  where  I  stated  that  he  died  about  1660;  he  seems, 
however,  to  have  lived  during  the  Revolution,  in  the 
documents  relating  to  which,  he  is  called  Colonel  Tliady 
O'Hara.)  Teige  left  four  sons;  the  eldest  of  whom  named 
John,  succeded  to  the  property  ;  he  married  a  Miss  Rowe,  an 
English  lady,  but  having  no  children,  he  bequeathed  his 
estates  to  his  wife's  relations — the  Rowes.  His  second 
brother,  Charles  was  dead,  but  had  left  a  son  named  Henry. 


104  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

The  uncles  of  this  boy,  Olivei*  and  Henry  O'Hara,  defended 
the  interests  of  their  infant  nephew,  and  in  his  name  took 
possession  of  the  estate.  When  the  Rowes  came  from 
England  the  tenantry  at  the  instigation  of  the  uncles, 
Oliver  and  Henry,  beat  them  off  by  force  of  arms,  which 
so  intimidated  the  Rowes,  that  they  sold  their  claims  to  the 
representatives  of  the  young  heir  for  £3,000.  This  money 
could  only  be  raised  by  the  scale  of  a  portion  of  the  estates  ; 
accordingly  an  Act  of  Parliament  was  obtained  by  wliich 
Loughguile  estate  was  sold  to  George  Macartney,  grand- 
father of  Earl  Macartney.  The  father  of  the  purchaser  of 
Loughguile  was  a  successfal  and  enterprising  merchant  in 
Belfast,  who  settled  in  that  town  about  the  year  1649,  and 
who  was  the  possessor,  in  addition  to  his  trading  profits,  of  a 
small  estate  near  Kircudbright,  in  Scotland,  which  jiroduced 
to  him  about  £100  a-year.  His  business  premises  in 
Belfast  were  at  the  corner  of  High  Street  and  Corn  Market, 
where  he  erected  the  Market-house  and  rented  it  at  £5  a 
year  to  the  Coi-poration.  Mr.  Benn,  History  of  Belfast, 
p.  256,  remarks  that  not  a  word  of  all  this  is  disclosed  in 
the  Peerage  Books;  his  pedigree  in  them  is  derived  from 
the  days  of  Bruce  :  he  is  a  captain  of  horse,  Surveyor-General 
of  Antiim,  possessor  of  a  great  estate  near  Belfast,  but  no 
one  could  possibly  tell  from  the  language  used,  that  he  was 
a  shipowner,  miliar,  sugar  retiner,  had  tuck  mills,  and  had 
in  him  the  true  nobility  of  being  an  enterprising  and  in- 
dustrious merchant.  His  younger  son  George  was  called 
to  the  bar  in  1700;  he  married  Letitia,  daughter  and  co- 
heir of  Sir  Charles  Porter,  Lord-Chancellor  of  Inland,  and 
died  in  1757,  having  been  a  member  of  the  Irish  House  of 
Commons  upwards  of  tifty-four  years.  The  following  ex- 
tracts are  given  by  Mr.  Benn  from  the  Joy  MSii. : — 


THI3  PARISH  OF    LOUGHGUILE.  105 

"  Freehold  estate  of  the  Roote,  £5,985  10a.  George  Macartney, 
Esr^.,  of  Belfast,  purchased  lands  from  John  O'Neill,  of  Edenduff- 
carrick  (Shane's  Castle),  and  Robert  Dalway,  of  Bellahill,  by  virtue 
of  an  Act  of  Parliament  10,  George  I.,  for  sale  of  a  part  of  the  estates 
of  Henry  O'Hara,  of  Crebilly,  to  pay  debts  and  legacies.  Enrolled 
10th  November,  1733.  The  above  contained  Kneel,  Moyavir,  C'ul- 
bane,  Tuornegre,   and  Castle,  Baroiiy  of  Dunluce,  County  Antrim." 

"An  Indenture  in  1742 — George  Macartney — the  lands  of  Dervog, 
Barony  of  Dunluce,  County  of  Antrim,  for  £7,205,  from  the  trustees 
of  the  will  of  the  Hon.  John  Skeliington,  lately  deceased  and  residuary 
legatees." 

The  only  .son  of  this  George  Macartney,  who  had  issue, 
WHS  also  named  George  ;  he  married  in  1732,  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  John  Winder,  rector  of  Carnmoney  and  had  issue, 
George,  afterwards  Lord  Macartney ;  Letitia  married  to 
Godfrey  Echlin,  of  Echlinville,  County  Down,  who  died 
without  issue  ;  and  Elizabeth  married  to  John  Balaquer, 
whose  only  daughter  married  the  Rev.  Iravers  Hume,  and 
was  the  mother  of  George  Hume  Macartney,  M.P.,  and 
heir  of  Lord  Macartney. 

Lord  Macartney  was  born  at  Lissanourne  Castle,  May 
14th,  1737,  was  educated  at  home  until  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  entered  Trinity  College,  Dublin  : 
when  travelling  in  1759  he  accidently  met  Mr,  Stephen 
Fox,  the  eldest  son  of  Lord  Holland,  through  the  influence 
of  whose  family  he  became  M.P.  for  Midhurst,  and  in  1754 
was  sent  as  envoy  extraordinary  to  the  Empress  of  Russia  ; 
in  1769  was  appointed  Chief-Secretary  to  Lord  Townshend, 
the  Lord-Lieutenant  of  Irelan<l  ;  in  1775  became  Governor 
of  the  Carribee  Islands  ;  in  1776  was  created  Baron  of 
Lissanoure,  in  the  Irish  peerage  ;  in  1781  was  appointed 
Governor  of  Madras  ;  in  1785  declined  the  office  of  Governor- 
General  of  Bengal ;  the  Company,  however,  granted  him  an 
annuity  for  life  of  £1,500  ;  remained  at  home  for  some  years 


106  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

planting  the  larch  groves  of  Lissanoure  and  building  the 
houses  of  Dervock  ;  in  1792  was  appointed  Ambassador 
Extraordinary  and  Plenipotentiary  to  the  Emperor  of 
China,  and  created  Viscount  Macartney,  of  Derrock  ;  in 
1794  returned  from  China  and  found  that  he  had  been 
created  Earl  Macartney;  in  1795  was  sent  on  a  mission  to 
Italy ;  in  1797  was  created  a  British  Peer,  Baron  Macartney, 
of  Parkhurst,  in  Surrey,  and  appointed  Governor  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  he  resigned  in  1799.  He  died 
at  Chiswick,  in  England,  March  31st,  1806,  and  not  having 
issue  he  bequeathed  his  estates  to  his  wife.  Lady  Jane 
Stuart,  daughter  of  John,  Earl  of  Bute  ;  and  after  her  death 
to  his  neice  Elizabeth  Hume  ;  from  whom  they  descended  to 
her  son  George  Hume  Macartney,  lately  M.P.  for  County 
Antrim  ;  from  him  they  were  inherited  by  his  son,  whose 
son  is  now  proprietor  of  them. 

The  ancient  castle  of  Loughguile  was  a  square  building, 
which  stood  at  the  northern  side  of  the  present  castle  of  Lissan- 
oure j  the  older  part  of  the  present  castle  was  built  by  Lord 
Macartney  and  the  more  modern  part  was  built  by  George 
Hume  Macartney,  about  1830.  The  castle,  at  mid-day  on 
the  5th  of  October,  1847,  was  accidentally  blown  up  with 
gun-powder,  and  Mrs.  Macartney  perished  in  the  ruins.  A 
fortified  island  is  represented  in  Speed's  Maj)  of  Ulster,  pub- 
lished in  1610,  as  being  in  Lough  Gell  (Loughguile),  and 
the  castle  is  entered  as  Castle  Balan.  The  fortified  island 
is  the  little  ornamental  island  in  front  of  the  castle. 

Civil 2Xirish  of  Kilrayhts.  In  1840,  four  trumpets  were 
discovered  in  the  Bog  of  Drumbest,  two  of  which  were  sold 
to  the  Britisli  Museum,  by  the  late  Mr.  Carruthers,  of 
Belfast,  who  had  purchased  the  four  from  the  finder.  The 
two  others  were  purchased  by  Mr.  Bell,  of  Ballymoney.     The 


THE  PARISH  OF  LOUGHGUILE.  107 

latter  two  have  been  figured  in  the  Ulster  Journal  of  Arch- 
ihology,  and  the  two  former  are  figured  in  the  Northern  Whig, 
of  January  28th,  1841.  Two  of  them  had  the  holes  for  the 
lips  on  the  sides,  and  the  other  two  had  the  holes  on  the 
end  but  were  of  a  rare  description  ;  those  having  the  lateral 
mouth-holes  were  each  2  [feet  11  inches  in  curved  length, 
and  2|  inches  diameter  at  the  large  end  ;  while  the  others 
were  each  2  feet  5  inches],  in  length  of  curvature,  and  21 
inches  in  diameter.  They  are  provided  with  rings  for 
suspension. 

At  the  distance  of  56  yards  south  of  the  road  from 
Cloughmills  to  Ballymoney,  and  in  the  townland  of  Kil- 
raghts  are  the  remains  of  the  ancient  church  of  Kilraghts 
surrounded  by  a  graveyard.  These  remains  consist  of  a 
part  of  the  western  gable  and  a  small  piece  of  the  south 
sidewall.  The  church  is  in  the  interior  35  feet  long  by  19| 
wide.  The  gable  is  2 J  feet  thick  and  15  feet  high.  The 
building  is  of  a  very  inferior  description.  In  the  Taxation  of 
Pope  Nicholas,  "The  church  of  Kellrethi"  was  valued  at  h 
Mark.  The  entry  in  the  Terrier  is,  "  Ecclesia  de  Kilraghties 
— half  a  townland  in  glebe.  Sir  Randal  hath  it — it  pays 
Proxies,  5/- ;  Refections,  5/- ;  Synodals,  2/-."  The  ancient 
glebe  land  is  probably  represented  by  the  townland  of  Kil- 
raghts. In  the  Visitation  Booh,  of  1622,  the  report  is 
"  Grange  de  Kilraghts  decayed.  The  2nd  part  of  all  tithes 
are  impropriate  to  the  Abbey  of  Down  and  possesst  by  the 
Earl  of  Antrim."  It  is  said  that  the  roof  remained  on 
Kilraghts  church  until  about  1737,  when  it  was  taken  oft 
to  put  on  the  old  church  of  Derrykeighan.  At  a  short 
distance  to  the  west  of  the  church,  on  the  site  occupied  by 
the  meeting-house,  there  was  formerly  the  foundation  of  a 
large  building  said  to  have  been  a  castle. 


108  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

At  page  96  it  is  surmised  that  the  site  of  a  church  might 
be  discovered  in  Kilmoyangey  ;  I  find  that  a  cemetery  was 
discovered  by  the  late  Mr.  William  Kerr,  in  one  of  his 
fields.  The  farm  at  present  belongs  to  Mr,  John  Kerr, 
of  Ballymoney. 

The  Ordnance  Map,  Sheet  17,  enters,  on  the  western  side 
of  Crosstagherty,  where  the  railway  crosses  the  road  from 
Ballymoney  to  Ballymena,  a  sub-denomination  Killoge, 
Human  bones  were  found  in  Mr,  S.  Tweed's  farm  during  the 
construction  of  the  railway  in  such  quantities  that  the  work- 
men supposed  that  the  place  was  the  site  of  a  battle. 
(Letter  of  Mr.  Thomas  Tweed,  Mullan,  Magherahoy),  but 
the  name  of  the  place  indicates  that  it  was  the  site  of  a 
church.  For  the  remainder  of  the  civil  pairish  of  Kilraghts 
see  p.  57,  where,  perhaps,  this  townland  and  some  of  the 
adjoining  townlands  should  have  been  treated  of. 

An  artificial  cave  in  Carngeeragh  has  an  average  height 
of  5  feet  6  inches  ;  six  other  caves  are  remembered  in  the 
civil  parish  but  they  are  now  mostly  destroyed.  A  mill- 
stone six  feet  in  diameter  and  about  eighteen  inches  thick, 
was  used  as  a  roofing  stone  in  a  cave  destroyed  by  Daniel 
M'llroy.  A  mill-stone  was  similarly  used  in  the  roofing  of 
a  cave  in  the  townland  of  Kilmandil,  in  the  Grange  of 
Killagan.  The  Earl  of  Antrim  is  represented  in  the 
Down  Survey  as  the  owner,  in  1G41,  of  all  the  lands 
in  the  parish  The  Quit  Kent  Boole  gives  the  names  of 
those  who  were  in  possession  of  the  land  in  16G0,  as 
"  Mr.  Morice  Thomson  and  Lord  jNIassaroone."  Tiiese 
men  seem,  however,  to  have  been  provided  for  else- 
where, for  in  the  Book  of  Distribution  the  Earl  is  again 
entered  as  the  proprietor  of  the  whole  parish,  except 
Magheravan  and  Ballylough  assigned  to  Daniel  M'Naughton, 


THE  PARISH  OF    LOUGHGUILE.  109 

and  Ballymacwilliam   and    Killraghtis  assigned  to   Patrick 
O'Heale.* 

*  The  late  Mr.  CI.  Porter,  in  a  paper  headed  Land  in  the  Old  Times, 
relates  a  tradition,  that  when  Alexander,  fifth  Earl  of  Antrim,  sold 
Kilraghts,  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  to  William  Agnew, 
of  Kilwaughter,  commonly  called  "  The  Old  Squire,"  one  Brian 
O'Hale,  a  lineal  representative  of  the  old  proprietors,  disputed  the 
legality  of  the  sale,  not  on  the  ground  of  inheritance,  but  on  the 
ground  of  an  alleged  lease  made  to  him  by  the  Earl.  Though  the 
lease  was  proved  to  be  a  forgery  yet  it  required  a  company  of  Lord 
Antrim's  Glenarm  militia  to  put  "  The  Old  Squire"  into  possession  of 
Kilraghts.  Lord  Antrim  eventually  agreed  to  allow  Brian  O'Hale 
during  life  a  pension  of  £20  per  annum.  About  the  beginning  of  this 
century  a  grandson  of  that  Briau,  also  Brian,  was  a  thatcher  in  Larne  ; 
he  was  poor  and  deaf,  and  the  father  of  the  late  Mr.  A.  R.  Burke,  of 
Larne,  using  his  influence  with  the  Antrim  family,  obtained  a  renewal 
of  the  pension  for  the  poor  thatcher. 

CHURCHES. 

During  times  of  persecution,  and  even  in  more  recent 
times,  Mass  was  celebrated  in  the  glen  of  Ballyknock,  on  a 
large  stone,  which  vet  remains  near  the  house  of  James 
Watt.  Mass  was  also  celebrated  at  LiganifFrin — "  the  Mass 
hollow"  in  Middle  Corkey. 

From  time  immemorial  the  Catholics  of  Loughguile  were 
possessed  of  a  small  "  Mass  House"  which  stood  in  the  field, 
called  the  Mass  House  Hill,  within  the  domain  attached  to 
Lissanoure  Castle.  They  had  this  when  the  owners  of  the 
castle,  the  O'Haras  were  Catholics,  and  they  continued  to  use 
it  until  about  1786,  when  Lord  Macartney,  then  engaged  in 
making  great  alterations  about  Lissanoure,  persuaded  Father 
M'Nally  to  accept  a  site  for  a  new  church  immediately  outside 
of  the  demense,  and  in  lieu  thereof  to  surrender  the  old  "  Mass 
House,"  which  he  held  by  prescription.  Lord  Macartney 
granted  a  lease  of  the  new  church  for  999  years,  but  inserted 


110  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

a  clause,  by  which  he  retained  in  his  own  power  and  in  that  of 
his  heii's,  that  by  paying  to  Father  M'Nally,  or  his  successors, 
the  sum  of  £210,  he,  or  they,  might  cancel  and  make  void  the 
lease.*  Mr.  George  Hume  Macartney,  taking  advantage  of 
this  clause  in  the  lease,  dispossessed  the  Parish  Priest 
and  people  of  their  church  on  1st  day  of  February,  1837. 
After  several  years  he  granted  the  site  of  the  church  to  the 
then  Established  Church  ;  and  a  portion  of  the  walls  of  the 
old  Catholic  Church  are  incorporated  in  the  present  Protestant 
Church.     Valentine  and  George  Whitla,  Esquires,  of  Cave 

*  Father  M'Loughlin  writes — "The  man  who  was  selected  by 
England  to  delude  Catharine  of  Russia,  the  Princes  of  India,  and  the 
Emperor  of  China,  might  easily  dupe  the  simple  pastor  and  tlock  of 
Loughguile."  It  is  likely  that  Lord  Macartney  never  intended  that 
any  of  his  successors  should  act  the  disgraceful  part  that  his  grand- 
nephew  acted.  There  is  at  present  lying  before  me  the  Subscription 
List,  for  the  erection  of  the  Church  built  by  Father  M-Xally— "  The 
Right  Hon.  Lord  Macartney,  £22  15s  ;  Thomas  Mercer,  £11  7s  Gd  ; 
Right  Hon.  Richard  Jackson,  £4  lis  ;  Rev.  Dr.  Trayle,  £3  Ss  3d  ; 
Jackson  Wray,  Rev.  Mr.  Hume,  Ezek  D.  Boyd,  John  Agnew, 
James  Stewart, — Legg  Esquires — £2  5s  6d  each  ;  James  Leslie, 
James  Hamilton  (Corkey),  Pat  M'Auley,  Sen.,  John  Adams,  James 
Lendrick,  Charles  Russel,  George  Gambel,  Esquires,  £1  2.s  9d  each. 
Messrs.  Hugh  Boyd,  M'lSTaughtan,  Hardy,  W.  Duffin,  Allen, 
Caldwell,  Rev.  Mr.  Symes,  O'Hara,  Hunter,  G.  Hutchms,ou,  W. 
Moore.  Samson  Moore,  Richardson,  H.  Clarke,  Messrs.  Boyd  and 
Patterson,  R.  Elder,  Mrs.  Moore,  Pat  M'Auley,   Jun.,   Ch.    Bolton, 

F.  Henderson,  lis  4id  each.  Messrs.  M 'Curdy,  J.  Gambel,  Miss 
Moore,  Mrs.  Renalds,  W.  Hendry,  Neal  Kenedy,  Strong,  Rev.  W. 
Marshal,  Little,  Heslit,  Hathridge,  T.  Hendry,  Nicholls,  Rev.  Chas, 
Douglas  Collin  Skethngton,  Beglay,  Downing,  Alex.  M'Neal,  Jas. 
Dunn,  Felix  Laverty,  Danl.  M'Neal.  Wm.  Clarke,  5s  5d  each. 
Messrs.  Terence  M'Guikin,  J.  Orr,  J.  Wilson,  J.  Calderwood,  R. 
Rice,  R.  Kirk,  W.  Thompson,  James  Iluey,  D.  White,    J.  Higgins, 

G.  Moore.  Jos.  Gordon,  Mick  M'Auley,  John  Reid,  W.  Loughridge, 
JohnRenolds,  Chas.  Digs,  Ens.  M'Donnell,  2s  8.|jd  each— 171  103  2.j.d. 
Cash  received  in  Dublin,  free  of  expenses,  £41.— Total  £112  10s  2^1. 


THE  PARISH  OF    LOUGHGUILE.  Ill 

Hill,  Belfast,  granted  to  Father  M'Laughlin  and  trustees,  3 
roods  of  land  in  the  townland  of  Tully,  under  a  perpetually 
renewable  lease,  at  the  annual  rent  of  £1  Is  Od ;  they 
paid  the  expenses  of  drawing  up  the  lease,  and  gave  a  sub. 
scription  of  £10.  On  that  site  Father  M'Loughlin 
commenced  the  new  Church,  on  the  19th  June,  1837;  and  it 
was  dedicated  under  the  invocation  of  St,  Patrick,  26th 
May,  1839,  by  Dr.  Denvir,  assisted  by  the  Primate,  Dr.  Crolly, 
and  by  the  Bishop  of  Derry — Dr.  M'Loughlin.  The  sermon 
on  the  occasion  was  preached  by  Father  M'Loughlin's  class- 
fellow,  Father  Thomas  Maguire,  the  distinguished  con- 
traversialist.  The  Church,  which  is  a  good  and  substantial 
building,  cost  £1,500,  and  stands  three  quarters  of  a  statute 
mile  east  of  the  former  site. 

Father  M'Loughlin  erected  the  Church  of  St.  Macnisius, 
in  the  townland  of  Magherahoney,  which  was  dedicated  by 
Dr.  Denvir,  on  the  3Ist  of  May,  1851.  It  is  situated  about 
two  and  a-half  statute  miles  due  north  of  St.  Patrick's. 

*  When  afterwards,  in  addition  to  other  misfortunes,  the  Sheriff 
sold  the  furniture  and  library  of  George  Hume  Macartney,  Esq., 
M.P.,  of  Lisanoure  Castle,  the  Catholics  of  Loughguile,  said  that 
they  saw  in  it  the  retributive  justice  of  God,  punishing  the  man  who 
had  sacrilegiously  deprived  them  of  their  humble  church.  At  that  sale 
Mr.  ]\Iacartney  requested  the  auctioneer,  Mr.  Hyndman,  of  Belfast, 
to  purchase  Lord  Macartney's  diplomatic  papers — a  valuable  collection 
referring  to  Eussia,  India.  China,  Italy,  &c.  Mr.  Macartney  was  to 
have  repaid  Mr.  Hyndman,  but  as  he  never  was  able  to  fulfil  his 
promise  the  Macartney  Papers  are  now  the  property  of  Hugh 
Hyndman,  Esq.,  Solicitor,  Belfast.  One  folio  volume  marked 
Macartney  Collection  State  Papers,  which  contains  valuable  papers 
on  the  constitution  of  Poland  and  correspondence  regarding  that 
Kingdom  and  Republic,  was  sold  at  the  auction  of  the  library  of  Dr. 
William  Magee,  J. P.,  and  was  purchased  by  me.  With  exception  of 
G.  H.  Macartney,  Esq.  M.P.  his  family  were  highly  respected  by  the 
Catholics  of  Loughguile  ;  his  son,  the  late  proprietor  of  the  estate, 


112  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

PARISH   PRIESTS. 

in  the  return  made  to  Rome  in  1670  by  Primate  Oliver 
Plunket,  one  of  the  priests  of  the  diocese  is  named  Ai'chibald 
Lyn,  who  was  probably  parish  priest  of  Loughguile  ;  from 
the  position  his  name  occupies  in  the  list  of  priests  it  would 
seem  that  he  was  oraained  about  1664. 

Walter  Linn  was  registered  in  1704  as  "  Pojjish  Priest" 
of  Loughguile,  Clough,  Kilraghts,  Grange  of  Killagan,  and 
part  of  Skerry ;  so  that  his  parish  extended  overwhat  con- 
stitutes the  present  Catholic  parishes  of  Loughguile  and 
Glenravel,  together  with  the  district  at  present  attached  to 
the  church  of  Cloughmills.  The  same  district  constituted 
the  parishes  of  Loughguile  and  Glenravel  until  1832,  when 
the  Braid  was  annexed  to  Glenravel.  Father  Linn  in  1704, 
was  54  years  of  age,  and  had  been  ordained  in  the  County 
of  Down  in  1673,  by  Dr.  Daniel  Mackey,  bishop  of  Down 

was  a  sincere  and  intimate  friend  of  the  late  Fathers  M  'Laughlin  and 
Magee.  Being  a  firm  believer  in  the  doctrine  of  Purgatory,  he 
requested  Father  M 'Laughlin  to  celebrate  Mass,  on  the  festival  of  All 
Souls,  in  the  ancient  graveyard  of  Loughguile;  and  he  was  present 
himself  at  Mass  on  this  occasion.  The  following  letter  of  the 
mother  of  George  H.  Macartney,  M.P.  to  the  Rev.  John  Fanning 
shows  that  she  was  a  benefactor  of  the  little  Catholic  Church: — 

"  Mr.  Fanning,  as  I  understand  you  are  now,  and  have  been  some 
time  back  appointed  Parish  Priest  to  Loughgeel,  I  wish  you  as  such 
to  apply  for  a  suit  of  Vestments,  which  I  presented  to  said  parish  for 
the  exclusive  use  of  the  chaple  belonging  to  the  said  parish,  but  which 
vestments  have  been  retained  against  my  wish  by  the  nephew  of  Priest 
M'Nally,  who  was  Parish  Priest  at  the  time  I  presented  them  to  the 
chaple,  and  which  nephew  has,  since  the  death  of  his  said  uncle, 
detained  the  vestments  against  my  wish  and  remonstrance,  as  the 
accompanying  letter  from  Rev.  Mr.  M'Nally,  the  said  nephew,  will 
show,  which  letter  I  received  just  before  I  left  this  for  England  in 

1818." 

Elizabeth  ITumk. 
Lissanoure  Castle,  September  2nd,  1821. 


THE  PARISH  OF  LOUGHGUILE.  113 

and  Connor.  At  his  registration  his  bailsmen  were  Elchard 
Horsman,  of  Belvidere,  near  Car-rickfergus,  and  T.  Stewart, 
of  Ballymoney  ;  each  of  whom  bailed  him  in  £50.  He  is 
returned  as  residing  in  Loiighguile,  but  it  is  probable  that 
he  resided  in  Moneyneagh,  which  was  a  very  central  posi- 
tion for  the  parishes  in  his  charge.  He  was  living  in  1720  ; 
for  we  find  him  returned  in  the  Rent  Roll  of  Lord  Antrim 
for  that  year  as  tenant  for  the  townland  of  Moneyneagh, 
which  he  held  under  the  Earl  subject  to  "  a  duty  of  a  mutton 
when  demanded."  See  Be7it  Roll  in  Mr.  Hill's  Steivarts  of 
BaUlntoy.  We  do  not  know  when  Father  Linn  died,  nor 
do  we  know  the  name  of  his  successor.* 

Tiie  next  parish  priest  we  hear  of  was  the  Rev.  Charles 
M'Auley;  he  was  a  native  of  the  townland  of  Drummans, 
in  the  parish  of  Ramoan.  He  was  ordained  in  Seaforde 
by  Dr.  M'Cartan,  and  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Iiough- 
guile  sometime  between  1770  and  1780.  He  resigned  the 
parish  for  some  reason  in  1782,  and  was  appointed  in  that 
year  to  Rathlin,  where  he  died  October  23rd,  1782,  and  was 
interred  in  Bunnamarge. 

TuUy  M'Nally  was  appointed  in  1782  ;  he  was  a  native 
of  the  townland  of  Longmore,  in  the  Braid.  Though  ap- 
pointed in  1782,  he  received  a  collation  dated  June  11th, 
1792,  and  witnessed  by  "  Arthuro  Brenan  de  Rasharkan, 
Yicario  Generali  et  Secretario,  et  Rich.  Curoe  de  Killmore," 
in  which  Father  Brenan  is  directed  to  put  him  into  possession 

*  There  was  a  priest  named  Walter  O'Linn,  who  was  a  native  of  the 
parish  of  Loughguile,  but  never  officiated  in  it ;  he  officiated  for  some 
time  at  Bushmills  but  he  resided  during  the  incumbency  of  Father 
M'Nally  generally  in  the  parish  of  Loughguile,  and  was  famous  for 
his  medical  prescriptions.  From  his  tombstone  in  the  old  graveyard 
of  Loughguile,  it  appears  he  died  on  the  22nd  of  November,  IS02,  in 
the  townland  of  Carnagall,  aged  63  years. 

H 


114:  DIOCESE    OP   CONNOR. 

"  of  the  parish  churches  of  Loughgeel,  Kilraghts,  and  the 
Grange  of  Killagan,  now  vacant  by  the  translation  and 
death  of  the  Eeverend  Charles  M'Aulay,  the  last  in  peaceable 
possession  thereof."  Father  M'Nally  erected  a  chapel  in 
Loughguile.     The  following  is  preserved  among  his  i)apers  : — 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  Roman  Catholic  congregation  of  the  parish 
of  Loughgeel,  in  the  County  of  Antrim,  held  at  their  Chapel  on  the 
16th  day  of  August,  1801.  The  following  expression  of  their  senti- 
ments was  unanimously  agreed  upon  :  — 

"  When  we  have  beheld  with  the  most  serious  concern  the  many 
endeavours  that  have  been  made  to  disunite  his  Majesty's  subjects  by 
creating  doubts  of  the  loyalty  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  and  circulating 
the  most  cruel  and  unfounded  rumours  to  prejudice  the  public  mind 
— amongst  which  that  of  Wednesday,  the  12th  instant,  causing  the 
Protestant   inhabitants   of  the    village   of  Connor  to  abandon   their 
houses  at  midnight,  to  prevent  their  murder  by  the  Catholics,  has 
given  us  the  deepest  affliction.     Under  such  circumstance  we  consider 
silence  becomes  criminal,  and  if  on  appeal  the  facts  be  received  in  our 
favour,  we  entreat  the  public  at  large  to  reflect  upon  the  conduct  of 
the  Roman  Catholics  of  the  County  of  Antrim,  and  in  particular  of  this 
part  of  it  during  the  disturbances  of  1798.     Then  it  will  be  found  that 
their  conduct  was  peaceable  and  loyal,  when  many  of  their  calumniators 
were  in  the  front  ranks  of  rebellion  ;  then  did  we,  where   now  we 
stand,  pledge  ourselves  to  James  Stuart,  Esq.,  of  Grace  Hill,  a  gentle- 
man whose  regard  and  protection  we  are  ])roud  to  have  merited,  to 
presevere  in  such  conduct  and  have  this  day  renewed  that  pledge  in 
the  most  solemn  manner.     To  that  part  of  our  Protestant  brethern, 
who  have  so  solemnly  excluded  us  from  their    fraternity,  we    only 
entreat  that  should  the  hour  of  danger  ever  arrive  we  may  be  allowed 
to  unite  our  efforts  in  defence  of  our  king  and  country.     To  all  wh<i 
hope  from  the  rejection  of  Catholic  claims  to  see  discontents  prevail 
amongst  us  we  tell  them  to  their  disappointment  that  we  know  the 
value  of  what  we  have  received  and  are  truly  grateful  for  the  same  ; 
and  as  soon  as  those  who  have  poisoned   tlie   royal  ear  against  our 
humble  claims  are  removed,  we  look  up  with  confidence  to  our  beloved 
Sovereign  for  a  further  extension  of  these  liberties,  that  our   other 
fellow-subjects  of  every  religious   persuasion  enjoy  in  this  country. 
Finally  we  wish  to  bring  to  the  recollection  and  impress  on  the  heart 
and  mind  of  every  Roman  Catholic,  that  all  the  benefits,  favours,  and 


THE  PARISH  OF    LOUGHGUILE.  115 

indulgences,  which  tliey  have  received  from  the  era  of  the  devolution 
down  to  the  present  day,  they  have  received  in  the   reign   of  our 
gracious  sovereign  George  the  Third,  whom  God  long  preserve. 
"  Signed  by  order  of  the  Meeting, 

"TULLl  M'N ALLY,  P.P." 

Father  M'Nally  died  in  the  year  1806,  and  was  interred  in 
the  ancient  graveyard  of  Loughguile. 

The  Rev.  John  Panning  was  appointed  parish  priest  in 
1806.  He  was  a  native  of  the  townland  of  Corkey  ;  was 
ordained  in  Downpatrick  by  Dr.  Patrick  MacMullan  ;  was 
appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Bushmills,  from  which  he  was 
sent  to  the  curacy  of  Glenravel  ;  and  after  the  death  of 
Father  Patrick  MacHenry  he  administered  that  parish  for 
a  short  time.  He  was  afterwards  sent  to  assist  Father 
M'Nally,  after  whose  death  Lie  was  appointed  to  the  vacant 
parish  ;  he  was  a  man  of  strange  and  eccentric  habits,  and 
about  him  many  anecdotes,  perhaps  considerably  embellished 
by  time,  are  yet  related.  He  was  deprived  of  faculties  in 
1823,  and  died  on  the  4th  of  May,  1836.  His  remains 
were  interred  in  the  ancient  graveyard  of  Loughguile,  and 
his  gravestone  bears  the  following  inscription — 

Erected  by  the  benevolent  inhabitants  of  Loughgiel, 

to  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  John  Fanning, 

the  late  P.P.,  of  Loughgiel,  who  died  -Ith  May,  1826, 

aged  73. 

The  next  parish  priest  was  the  Rev.  James  Linny.  He 
was  born  in  the  Lower  Ards,  County  Down,  and  was 
baptized  on  the  6th  of  June,  1793  ;  he  entered  the  class  of 
Humanity,  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September  4th, 
1816]  was  ordained  by  Dr.  M'Mullan  in  1816;  was  ap- 
pointed curate  of  Ballymena  ;  was  appointed  administrator 
of  Loughguile,  in  March,  1823,  and  was  afterwards  appointed 
parish  priest;  he  died  April  8th,  1834,  and  was  interred  in 


116  DIOCESE    OF    COXXOE. 

Lisban,  in  the  Ards.     The  following  inscinption  is  inscribed 
on  his  tombstone  : — it  contains  a  mistake  as  to  his  age — 

•  Beneath  tins  stone  are  interred  the  remains  of  the 

Rev.  James  Linney,  P.P.,  of  Loughguik, 

County  Antrim,  loho  departed  from  this  life  on 

the  Sth  April.    Anno  Sal.  Rep.  1834,  in  the 

4.6th  year  of  his  age.     R.  I.  P. 

The  Rev.  Henry  M'Loughlin  succeeded  Father  Linney. 
Father  M'Loughlin  was  born  a.d  1793,  in  the  townland  of 
Fofanny,  in  the  parish  of  Kilcoo  ;  entered  the  Logic  Class 
in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  August  27  th,  1816  ;  was 
ordained  in  the  college  chapel  by  Dr.  Murray,  at  Penticost, 
1822.  There  being  at  that  time  no  curacy  vacant  the 
bishop,  in  1823,  requested  the  Father  Brennan,  P.P.,  Cul- 
feightrin,  to  take  Father  M'Loughlin  ;  towards  the  end  of 
that  year  he  went  to  assist  Father  O'Neill  in  Carrickfergus 
and  Larne,  when  they  entered  into  the  agreement  a  cojjy  of 
which  has  been  already  given  in  Vol.  III.,  p.  116  ;  he  after- 
wards returned  for  a  short  time  to  the  curacy  of  Culfeightrin; 
was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Bally  money  on  the  1st  of 
August,  1825,  where  he  erected  the.  church  of  Ballymoney  ; 
was  appointed  par'sh  priest  of  Loughguile,  May  12th,  1834  ; 
erected  the  present  church  of  Loughguile.  He  died  on  5th 
of  September,  1869,  and  was  interred  in  the  graveyard 
attached  to  the  new  church.     His  tomb  is  inscribed: — 

Orate  pro  anima  Revdi  H.  McLaughlin,  parochi 

de  Loughgiel,  qui  pie  ohiit  in 

Domino  VII.  Idns  Septemhris  MDCCCLXIX, 

Saccrdii  XLVII.     Aet.  LXXVI.     A  sxiscejyto  sacerdotio  usque  ad 

finein  vitoi  indefessus  labore,  henignus  in  omnes,  peritia 

litcrarum  turn  divinarum  turn  humanarum  clarus,  pielatc  in 

Dsum  et  B.  V.  Mariam  et  ardore  fidei  dilatandn' 

insignis,  omnes  pastoris  optimi  jmrtes  peregif. 

RcquJcscat  in  pace. 


THE  PARISH  OF    LOUGHGUILE.  117 

Father  Cornelius  Magee  was  the  next  parish  priest,  he 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Killough,  County  Down,  in  the 
year  1818  ;  entered  the  Diocesan  CoHege,  February  5th, 
1834  ;  entered  the  class  of  Humanity  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  January  1st,  1835  ;  was  ordained  in  Belfast  by 
Dr.  Denvir,  May  5th,  1842  ;  was  appointed  curate  of  Bailee, 
May  2 0th,  1842  ;  was  appointed  dean  of  the  Diocesan 
College  and  chaplain  of  the  Belfast  Workhouse  in  1845  ; 
was  appointed  in  1849  parish  priest  of  Aghagallon,  from 
which  he  was  appointed  to  Loughguile,  October  19th,  1869. 
He  died  Februaiy  27th,  1873,  and  was  interred  beside  his 
predecessor.     On  his  monument  is  inscribed — 

Pray  for  the  soul  of  your  late  pastor,  the 
Rev.  Cornelius  Magee,  PP. 


Born  1818,  ordained  May,  1842,  transferred  from 

Aghagallon  to  the  parish  of  Loughgiel, 

November,  1869,  and  died  27th  February,  1873, 

aged  55  years. 

Erected  by  the  parishioners  in  grateful  remembrance 

of  his  zeal  for  the  short  period  of  his  labours 

among  them. 

The  Rev.  John  Lennon  was  born  December  8th,  1838,  in 
Moy,  County  Tyrone.  After  studying  in  the  Diocesan 
Seminary  of  Armagh,  he  entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  August  27th,  1851  ;  was  ordained  for 
the  diocese  of  Down  and  Connor  by  Dr.  Whelan,  in 
Clarendon  Street  Church,  Dublin,  on  the  4th  of  April,  1857; 
was  shortly  afterwards  appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Drum- 
maul  ;  was  transferred  in  1859  to  the  cui'acy  of  Rasharkin  ; 
thence  in  18G4  to  the  curacy  of  Whitehouse ;  was  appointed 
curate  of  St.  Peter's  Belfast,  after  the  dedication  of  that 
church  in  October,  1866  ;  had  also  charge  for  a  short  time 
of  St.  Patrick's  Industrial  School ;  was   appointed  to  the 


118  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

parish  of  Lough^'uile  in  June,  1873  ;  died  on  Saturday, 
January  1st,  1881,  and  was  interred  in  the  cemetery  of  the 
Catholic  Chnrch  of  Loughguile. 

The  Rev.  John  M^  Auley,  the  present  parish  priest,  succeed- 
ed Father  Lennon.  Father  M'Auley  was  born  in  the 
townland  of  Kanaghan^  in  the  parish  of  Duneane  and  was 
baptised  on  the  24th  of  June,  1829;  after  studying  in  the 
Diocesan  College,  Belfast,  he  entered  theLogic  Class  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  August  26th,  1849;  was  ordained  in 
Clarendon  Street  Church,  by  Dr.  Whelan,  November  13th, 
1853  ;  officiated  as  curate  in  the  parishes  of  Belfast  and 
Glenavy  ;  was  appointed  in  October,  1866,  parish  priest  of 
Ardkeen,  or  Lisban  ;  from  which  he  was  appointed  parish 
priest  of  Lougliguile  in  February,  1881. 


PARISH  OF  BALLYMONEY. 


THE  parish  of  Ballymoney  extends  over  the  civil  parish 
of  Ballymoney,  except  the  townland  of  Garryduff ; 
the  civil  parish  of  Derrykeighan ;  and  the  southern  parts  of 
the  civil  parish  of  Billy. 

The  first  site  of  an  ancient  church  which  we  meet  on 
entering  the  civil  parish  of  Ballym^oney  from  the  civil 
parish  of  Kilraghts,  occurs  in  Killyramer,  where  there 
was  an  ancient  graveyard ;  but  in  1837  the  Ordnance 
Survey  Memoir  reported,  that  even  then  it  had  all 
been  dug  away  and  levelled  with  the  field.  At  that 
time  the  farm,  on  which  it  had  been,  belonged  to  John 
MooUj  and  in  the  same  farm  there  was  an  artificial 
cave  containing  several  apartments. 

In  the  farm  of  William  Small,  in  the  townland  of  Kirk- 
hills,  there  was  an  ancient  burial  gi'ound,  part  of  which  was 
in  a  rath,  and  under  the  rath  there  was  formerly  an 
artificial  cave.  The  graveyard  and  rath  are  nearly  re- 
moved, and  the  cave  has  been  completely  destroyed,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  stones  which  had  been  used  in  its 
construction.  This  graveyard  was  about  twenty  perches 
north-west  of  the  road  from  Ballymoney  to  Ballyoastle. — 
See  Ordnance  Memoir  M.S.  The  Church  of  Ballymoney 
is  valued  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas,  under  the  name 
of  Balihony  at  £21.  It  is  remarkable  that  Balibony  is  the 
form  which  the  name  assumes  in  all  the  early   documents. 


120  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

"In  1305,  the  advowson  of  the  Church  of  Ballyhony  was 
granted  to  Richard  de  Burgo,  Earl  of  Ulster— Inq.  ad  quod 
dam.,  33  Ed.  1.  In  1334  Richard  de  Castro  was  presented 
to  the  Church  of  Balyhony  in  the  diocese  of  Connor,  it 
being  in  the  gift  of  the  Crown  by  reason  of  the  minority  of 
the  heir  of  the  Earldom  of  UJster.— (7o7n.  Placit.,  8  Ed.  Ill 
God.  Glar.,  Vol.  XLIIT.  p.  38.  In  1488  Bernard 
M'Closcaid  was  rector  of  Ballehoni — Eeg.  Octav.  fol.  289, 
dors.  In  1550  Eugenius  M'Bloake  was  rector  of  the 
Church  of  Balehonad.—Reg .  Dowd.,  p.  22.— Ibid.,  p.  266." 
Reeves's  Eccl.  Antig.  In  the  Jorney  made  by  the  Earle  of 
Sussex.  Lord  Deputye,  the  march  on  Tuesday,  the  14ch  of 
July,  I556j  was  from  Drommore  to  Coleraiue  ;  ''also  this 
day  wee  came  to  a  Bishop's  house,  which  was  with  a  castle 
and  a  church  joyned  together  in  one  called  Ballymonin,  ye 
Bishopp  M'Genusi's  house  beeing  Bpp.  of  Down  and 
Conner."  The  site  of  the  oi'iginal  church  in  the  church- 
yard is  marked  by  a  square  tower,  which  bears  the  date  of 
1637,  bub  all  traces  of  the  church  and  its  castellated  tower 
are  gone,  nor  is  there  any  record,  except  this,  of  an  episcopal 
residence  at  Ballymoney,  nor  of  any  lands  belonging  to  the 
See  in  the  parish.  It  was  however  quite  customary  in 
Ireland  previous  to,  and  during  the  14  and  15th  centuries, 
to  have  residences  at  the  west  end  of  the  churches.  The 
Terrier  enters  ''  Ecclesia  de  Ballymoney  hath  in  Glebe  20 
acres :  it  is  one  of  the  best  livings  in  the  Diocess — pays 
proxies,  203 ;  Refections,  20s  ;  Synodals,  2s  "  The  Ulster 
Visitation  Book  of  1622  describes  the  state  of  the  church  at 
that  period — "  Ecclesia  de  Ballymoney,  the  walls  decayed 
and  fallen  to  the  ground." 

There  is  the  site  of  a  graveyard  in  the  farm  of  Mr.  Samuel 
Ferguson  in  the  townland  of  Drumskea,  but  it  has  been 


THE  PAllISH  OF  BALLYMONEY.  121 

long  since  subjected  to  tillage.  This  may  have  been  the  site 
of  the  cluirch  of  Kilhritoune,  which  is  entered  on  the  Roll 
of  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas,  between  the  churches  of 
Baliboni  (Ballyraoney),  and  Tuhiacorre  (Kilmoyle).  The 
geographical  position  of  the  graveyard  in  Drumskea  cor- 
responds with  the  entry  in  the  roll.  Dr.  Reeves  surmised 
that  Kilbritoune  might  be  Finvoy,  or  Broughanmore  in 
Killagan,  the  churches  of  which  are  not  entered  in  the  roll, 
or  that  it  might  be  found  in  the  townland  of  Culbrim,  or 
Culbreene,  which  is  marked  on  Betty's  Map,  Kilbrune.  No 
indications  of  a  church  have,  however,  been  found  in  Culbrim. 
Enagh  being  in  ancient  times  named  Oenach-Cross — "  Enagh 
of  the  Crosses  " — and  a  portion  of  the  district  being  still 
called  Cross,  seem  to  suggest  that  Drumskea  graveyard  is 
the  site  of  a  once  important  church ;  and,  the  name 
Drumskea — "  the  ridge  of  the  thorn  " — would  easily  sup- 
plant an  older  denomination.* 

"  The  Church  of  Talacorre  "  is  valued  in  the  Taxation  of 
Pope  Nicholas  at  one  Mark.  Talacorre  has  now  assumed 
the  form  of  Tullaghgore,  the  name  of  a  townland  and  of  a 
little  parish,  which,  after  the  change  of  religion,  was  united 
with  Ballymoney,  and  the  union  was  in  consequence  styled 
"  Ballymoney  cum  Tullagur."  Reg.  Vis.  IQ?>^.  The  found- 
ations of  the  church  measuring  42  by  15  feet,  are  in  the  old 
graveyard,   twenty  perches   in   extent   in   the   townland   of 

There  is,  a  little  east  of  O'Hara-Brook,  an  apparently  ancient 
graveyard,  called  the  "Lambs-fold,"  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  it 
was  first  used  by  the  Quakers.  The  family  which  gives  name  to 
O'Hara-Brook,  is  not  related  to  the  O'Haras  of  Loughguile  and 
Crebilly.  George  Teatte  married  the  only  daughter  of  Cormac 
O'Hara,  of  Drummully,  in  the  County  of  Cavan  ;  their  son  was  called 
Charles  O'Hara,  whose  son,  Henry  O'Hara,  bom  in  1759,  w^as  the 
grandfather  of  the  late  Mr.  O'Hara. 


122  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

Kilmoyle  {cill  maol,  ''the  bald  church."  The  Terrier 
enters,  "  Ecclesia  Calva  (the  bald-church),  de  Tullothgarra 
hath  half  a  townland  in  gleabe.  It  is  united  to  Ballymonie. 
It  pays,  proxies,  5/-;  Refections,  5/-;  Synodals,  2/-."  The 
Ulster  Visitation  Book  of  1622  reports — "Ecclesia  Calva 
de  Tallaghor,  noe  church,  nor  walls — Rectory  possest  by  the 
Earl  of  Antrym,  as  impropriate  to  the  Priory  of  Ooleraine." 
The  Ordinance  Memoir  MS.  mention  a  number  of  caves  in 
the  farm  of  David  Biown,  in  the  townland  of  Breckagh  '> 
they  pass  under  some  dwelling  houses.  There  is  another 
cave  a  few  yards  from  the  dwelling  house  of  David  Beard, 
in  Farranalessary.  There  is  a  standing  stone,  3|  feet  high, 
2|  feet  broad,  and  1  foot  thick,  in  the  farm  of  Matthew 
Adams,  in  Ballyboylands  Upper  ;  it  stands  about  40  perches 
north-east  of  the  road  from  Cloughmills  to  Ballymoney,  and 
about  the  snme  distance  from  a  road  leading  from  Armoy. 
A  Crannoge  of  about  four  perches  in  diameter  was  in  a  lake, 
which  once  covered  about  five  acres,  in  the  townland  of 
Culramoney,  This  artificial  island  was  circular,  and  sui'- 
rounded  with  a  wooden  framework,  morticed  together.  The 
lake  has  been  drained  and  many  antiquities  were  found  in 
the  island  : — a  bronze  pot  in  which  was  a  pair  of  brass 
spurs,  one  of  which  was  sent  to  Leslie  Hill  House ;  a  pair  of 
sheers,  and  a  curious  lock  ;  a  cannon  ball  of  25  pounds 
weight  ;  an  iron  pike  ;  "  a  stone  flag  of  mica  slate,  on  which 
there  was  a  cross  of  curious  dimensions,  the  flag  is  eleven 
inches  square  and  one  and  a  half  inches  thick  " — this  seems 
to  have  been  an  altar-stone.  The  following  antiquities  were 
found  in  the  civil  parish  : — Samuel  Peacock  found  in  1834 
a  bronze  sword,  11^  inches  long,  and  a  Bronze  hatchet,  in 
Cubbindall ;  four  bronze  hatchets,  of  various  sizes,  tied 
together  "  by  a  ciiain  of  brass  wire,"   were  found  in  a  flow 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLYMONEY.  123 

bog  in  Calheme.  A  pair  of  bronze  cheek  pieces  for  a  bridle 
bit,  and  some  beautiful  beads  of  glass  and  amber,  and  bronze 
spear-heads,  were  found  in  Glenlough.  See  Ordnance  Memoir 
MS.  A  drawing  is  given  in  the  Ulster  Journal  of  Archoeologij 
Vol.  Y.,  p.  157,  of  a  bronze  pin  of  beautiful  workmanship, 
which  was  found  near  Ballyinoney,  and  passed  into  the 
valuable  collection  of  the  late  James  Bell,  Esq.,  of  Bally  money 
In  the  Statistical  Survey  of  Antrim;  published  in  1812,  a 
description  is  given  of  a  gold  fibula,  weighing  19  oz.  10  dwt. 
which  was  purchased  from  a  peasant,  who  said  he  dug  it  up 
in  the  parish  of  Bally  money.  In  1829,  Benjamin  Speers 
found,  in  a  flow  bog  in  Dunaverney,  an  instrument  principally 
composed  of  bronze — an  engraving  of  which  is  given  in  the 
Dublin  Penny  Journal,  Vol.  I.,  p.  324,  and  in  the  Proceed- 
ings of  tlie  Kilk.  Archceol.  Soc.  fov  1854,  p.  65.  The  finder 
sold  it  for  £1  to  the  lie  v.  Mr.  Mant,  by  whom  it 
was  presented  to  Dr.  Mant,  Protestant  Bishop ;  but 
in  1854  it  was  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Carruthers,  of 
Belfast,  and  in  1880  it  was  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum 
where  the  writer  examined  it.  A  similar  instrument  found  in 
Lurgy,  three  miles  from  Dungannon,  passed  into  the  cabinet 
of  the  late  Mr.  Barton,  of  Dungannon.  The  instrument,  the 
form  of  which  can  be  beat  understood  from  the  drawings, 
consists  of  a  hollow  tube,  perforated  at  unequal  distances 
with  seven  holes,  through  each  of  which  passes  a  wire 
terminating  at  one  side  by  the  figure  of  a  bird,  and  at  the 
other  by  a  ring.  The  instrument  is  one  foot  eleven 
inches  long,  terminating  in  one  end  by  a  ring, 
and  in  the  other  by  a  double  hook,  and  through  the 
hollow  of  it  passed  a  brass  wire  in  a  zigzag  form.  It 
has  been  conjectured  to  have  been  a  divining  rod ;  a 
sacrificial  instrument,  and  many  other  things.     It  seems  to 


12'1  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

have  been  an  instrument  for  weighing  ;  and  the  birds  served 
for  a  kind  of  abacus  for  calculation.  At  a  short  distance 
from  where  the  instrument  was  found,  there  were  also  found 
fragments  of  wooden  vessels,  a  bronze  pin  about  ten  inches 
■in  length,  and  some  stone  hatchets. 

There  was  on  the  western  side  of  the  parish  a  district, 
which  is  now  divided  into  several  townlands,  two  of  which 
Enagh  and  Cross  now  preserve  its  ancient  name  Oenach-Cross 
or  Aenach-Cross — "  the  fair  of  the  crosses  " — where  funereal 
games  periodically  celebrated  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mound, 
under  which  some  ancient  chief  was  interred,  produced  an 
Aonacli  — "  an  assembly  or  fair."  After  the  introduction 
of  Christianity,  this  place  of  assembly  was  sanctified  by  the 
erection  of  crosses,  and  by  a  church,  the  site  of  which  is  the 
Old  Cemetry  of  Drumskeagh.  The  poet  of  Murtough,  son  of 
Niall  Glundubh,  prince  of  the  Kinel-Owen,  wrote  a  poem 
which  celebrates  the  famous  journey  made  by  that  prince 
round  Ireland  in  the  year  941.  From  his  palace  at  Aileach, 
near  Derry,  he  set  out  with  an  army  of  one  thousand  chosen 
men,  to  make  the  circuit  of  Ireland,  for  the  purpose  of 
exacting  hostages  from  all  such  chieftains  as  he  supposed 
were  likely  to  oppose  his  elevation  to  the  throne  of  Ireland. 
His  first  stage  after  leaving  Aileach  was  Aenach-Cross, 
which  the  poet  thus  describes  : — 

"  We  were  a  night  at  Oenacli-Cross — 

Not  more  delightful  to  be  iu  paradise  ; 
We  brought  Loingseach  of  Line, 
From  the  midst  of  that  land  of  promise." 

"  The  land  of  promise  "  is  a  term  frequently  applied  by 
Irish  poets  to  beautiful  fertile  districts.  The  ancient  earth- 
en mound,  which  is  now  removed,  was  doubtlessl_y  the 
fortress  where  the  Kinel-Owen  Chiefs  found  such  comfortable 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLYMONEY.  125 

lodging,  and  where  they  seized  the  Prince  of  Dalaradia. 
This  fortress  was  placed  high  above  the  Bann,  and  near  one 
of  the  principal  fords  of  the  river  ;  it  commanded  a  most 
extensive  view  of  the  river  and  the  lands  on  each  side.  Sir 
Alexander  M'Donnell,  the  nephew  of  the  first  Earl  ot  Antrim 
and  son  of  his  eldest  brother,  resided  at  the  Cross ;  and  his 
descendant,  Sir  Randal,  when  serving  in  the  Irish  Brigade 
in  France,  so  late  as  1740,  styled  himself  "of  Cross  in  the 
County  of  Antrim."  This  district  was  the  scene  on  the  Ilth 
of  February  (Old  Style),  in  the  year,  1642,  of  a  tei-rible 
battle  between  the  Irish  and  the  British.  The  day  of  that 
bloody  conflict  was  for  many  a  generation  known  among 
the  friends  of  the  defeated  party  as  ''  Black  Friday."  The 
following  accounts  of  the  battle  are  taken  from  contemporary 
\?riters. : — 

' '  The  next  meeting  of  the  British  and  Irish  was  at  Bunderaga 
(Buiidooragh),  near  the  Crosses  in  the  route.  The  British  of  Cole- 
raiue  marched  out,  under  the  command  of  Archibald  Stewart,  of 
BalUntoy,  and  other  officers  to  the  number  of  600  men,  to  get  a  pre}'. 
On  which  the  alarm  wis  up.  and  the  Irish  under  the  command  of 
Alexander  M'CoUa  M'Donnell,  to  the  number  of  six  or  seven 
huudred  men  charged  them  in  a  boggie  ground,  and  beat  their  horse 
in  among  their  foot,  and  followed  close  to  their  rear  and  v/ithout  any 
opposition  took  the  rout,  which  was  the  ruin  of  most  of  them,  leaving 
their  colors  with  the  enemy.  This  was  a  fatal  break  to  the  British 
in  these  parts. — The  History  of  the  Wan-  of  Ireland  1641,  by  a  British 
Offi.cer. 

"  The  Scots  then  throughout  all  the  province  of  Ulster,  where  they 
were  most  numerous,  betook  themselves  to  holds  leaving  all  the 
open  country  to  the  enemy.  For  the  first  attempt  of  Coll.  Kittach 
had  so  frightened  them  that  they  thought  no  man  was  able  to  stand 
before  that  son  of  Anak.  In  his  first  encounter,  at  the  head  of  a  few 
Irish  Highlanders  and  some  of  Antrim's  Irish  Rebels  that  were 
brethren  in  evil,  against  eight-hundred  English  and  Scotch,  having 
commanded  his  murderers  to  lay  down  their  firearms,  he  fell  in  among 
them  with  swords  and  durks  or  scanes,  in  such  a  furious  manner  that 


126  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

it  was  reported  not  a  man  of  them  escaped  of  all  tlie  eight-hundred.  "— 
From  the  account  of  the  War,  written  by  the  Rev.  Alexander  Cloggy. 

"As  for  the  Governor,  upon  their  crossing  the  Bann,  there  was  a 
Captain  of  his  people,  namely  William  Taafe  left  behind  him. 
About  the  time  that  he  was  approaching  Movanagher,  the  people  of 
Coleraine  came  to  the  Route  and  Killyquin,  there  happened  to  be 
encamped  James  M'Alister  Caragh,  James  M'CoU,  and  two  sons  of 
Coll  Ciotach  before  them  ;  so  they  sent  a  message  to  William  Taafe 
to  wait  in  Gleann-Coill  ('  the  glen  of  the  hazel  wood,'  now  Glenstall), 
near  the  Bann,  till  the  Scotch  should  come  near  them,  and  when  they 
would  see  them  approach,  to  unfold  the  banners  and  beat  the  drums. 
This  was  done  and  the  Scotch  fell  into  the  snare.  The  Scotch  en- 
deavoured to  retreat,  but  they  were  nothing  the  better  of  that,  for 
948  of  them  were  killed  at  Bon-dubhroighe  (now  Bundooragh)."— 
From  the  translation  of  O'Mellan's  Journal. 

The  few  who  remained  fled  as  fast  as  best  they  could  to 
Coieraine,  leaving  Ballymoney  and  the  districts  around  it 
in  the  hands  of  the  Irish,  in  whose  possession  it  continued 
until  the  arrival  of  the  Scotch  Troops,  under  Munro  and 
Leslie.  In  Felly's  Survey  the  entire  parish  of  Ballymoney 
is  returned  as  possessed  by,  or  under,  the  Earl  of  Antrim. 
The  following  are  the  names  of  the  persons  in  possession  of 
the  lands  ot  the  parish  in  1660  ;  they  were  the  soldiers  who 
had  obtained  the  lands  in  1655,  or  their  representatives  : — 
'•  Lord  Viscount  Massaroone,  Mrs.  Hawes,  Moirice  Thomson, 
Matthew  Locke,  Esq.,  assigned  to  Edward  Fisher.  (Note 
Mr.  James  Hamilton's  freehold  not  disposed  of.)  IliiVs 
McDonnells.  In  the  Book  of  Distribution,  the  lands  of  the 
entire  parish  are  assigned  to  Lord  Antrim,  except  the 
following  assigned  to  Lord  JNIassareene : — Ballynecrebeg, 
Olaghy,  Ballyvony,  Drumsky,  and  Unshinna,  Buuderoge, 
Drumnehosky,  Cross,  Dromreagh  ;  and  the  following  assigned 
to  Archibald  Stewart : — "  Part  of  MuHaghmore,  of  Droghin- 
dulke,  and  of  Senicorke.     The  most  of  the  lands  assigned  to 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLYMONEY.  127 

Lord   Massareene  Lad,   before   the   war,  been   held   by  Sir 
James  M'Donnell  iiuder  the  Earl, 

On  Saturday,  the  23rd  of  March,  1689,  General  Hamilton, 
commanding  for  James  TL,  an-ived  at  Ballymoney  and 
formed  an  encampment  at  it,  where  he  rested  his  troops,  and 
with  his  cavalry  drove  the  troops  of  Coleraine  within 
their  walls.* 

The  civil  Parish  of  Derrykeighan.  On  entering  the  civil 
parish  of  Derrykeighan,  the  first  site  of  a  church,  which 
presents  itself  is  in  Magheradonnell,  a  sub-denomination  of 
the  tovvnland  of  Knockanboy  ;  there,  in  a  field,  which  in 
1837  belonged  to  Gordon  Lyle,  was  the  site  of  a  graveyard, 
but  even  then,  it  had  been  subjected  to  tillage,  and  not  a 
trace  of  it  is  now  to  be  seen. 

The  Patron  Saint  of  Derrkeighan  was  Colman  Muilin — 
Colman  of  the  Mill,' whose  festival  was  held  on  the  1st 
of  January.  The  Martyrology  of  Donegal  says  of  him, 
"  Colman  Muilinn  of  Doire-Chaechaiu  in  Dalriada,  in 
Ulster ;  Bronach,  daughter  of  Milchu,  son  of  Buan,  with 
whom  Patrick  was  in  caj)tivity,  was  his  mother  ;  and  it  was 
in  a  mill  he  used  to  make  obesiance  to  the  brethren"  From 
which  it  seems  he  made  himself  conspicuous  for  his  liumility 
to  his  brother  monks,  when  he  and  they  were  engaged  at 
the  labours  of  the  mill.  Near  the  site  of  the  graveyard,  in 
Magheradonnell,  where  there  was,  no  doubt,  once  a  little 
church, — a  cell  under  the  greater  church  of  Derrykeighan, 
there  is  yet  a   mill,  perhaps   occupying   the  very  site  of  the 

*  In  a  Noate  of  the,  Severall  Seates  for  placying  of  the  Gentlemen 
Adventurers  for  their  principall  divellynys.  One  of  the  many  iirojects 
for  securing,  during  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  the  County  of  Antrim  for 
the  English,  it  was  suggested  that  Ealph  Bouchier  should  be  settled 
at  Ballyhony  ;  suffice  it  to  say  Bouchier  never  obtained  a  settlement 
at  Ballymoney. 


128  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOE. 

old  monastic  mill.     St.  Colman  was   a   contemporary  of  St. 
Patrick.     A   tract   written  before   the   year  800,  on  "  The 
Mothers  of  the   Saints  of  Ireland,"  by  Aengus  the  Culdee, 
says,   that   Bronach    was   the    Mother   Mochay    of  Mahee 
Island  in   Lough   Strangford,    and  of  "  Colman  Muilinn  of 
Daire-Chaechain  in  Dal-Riada."     By  referring  to  Yol.  1.  p. 
143,  it  will  be  seen,  that  Mochay  resided  near  Bally noe,  or 
Ligamaddy,  in  the  Parish  of  Bright  ;    or,    at  least,    when 
herding  his  swine  there  he  first  met  St.  Patrick ;  we  may 
therefore  suppose,  that  St.  Colman  was  also  a  native  of  that 
place  ,  and,  as  his  brother   Mochay's  death  occurred  in  the 
year  497,  we  may  place  the  foundation  of  Derrykeighan  at 
about  470,     Doire-Chaecliain   signifies    *'  The   oakwood   of 
Caechan,"  who  was  probably  so  named  from  an  imperfection 
of  vision,  as  his  name  signifies  "  purblind,"  a  word  akin  to 
the  Latin  Cae-cus — '  blind.'     The  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas 
values   "  Ecclesia  de   Darkehan,"  at   £20    8s.     The   Terrier 
says  of  it,  about  1609,    'Ecclesia   de   Dirracheagan  hath  in 
glebe   20   acres ;    Sir   Randal   is    Parson,   Donald   Murray, 
Vicar, — Proxies,    20/- ;    Refections,    20/- ;    Synodals,    2/-," 
or  in  other  \fcrds  after  the  change  of  religion,  two-thirds  of 
the    tithes    were     given     to     the     landlord,    Sir    Randal 
M'Donnell,  and  one  third   to   the   minister.      The    Ulster 
Visitation  Booh  of  1622,  reports — "  Ecclesia  de  Derrykayhan 
rnynous,  Rectory,  videlicit,  two   partes   of  the   tithe  corne, 
imjiropriate  to  Kells   or  Woodburne,  possest   by  the  Earl  of 
Antrym."     Notwithstanding  this  statement  that  the  rectory 
was  appropriate  to  Kells,  or  Woodburne,  the  Antrim  In- 
quisition of  1605  found,  that  the  Prior  of  Down  was  seized, 
at  the  Dissolution   of   the   "  Rectory  of  Derrichigan.  in  the 
tuogh  of  Ballinlagh  in  the  Rowte."     The  foundations  of  the 
ancient  Catholic  Church  remain  in  the  church  yard  :  on  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLYMONEY.  129 

eastern  part  of  them  a  Protestant  church,*  now  in  ruins  was 
erected;  it  measures  in  the  interior  45  by  22  feet,  but  the 
ancient  church  extended  30  feet  farther  towards  the  west. 
There  is  an  extensive  artificial  cave  in  the  same  townland, 
in  the  farm  of  Samuel  Simpson.  The  field  dii-ectly  opposite 
the  Glebe  House  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  from  Dervock 
to  Bushmills  is  called  "  the  Craig  of  Vengeance;"  and 
the  field  "on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  is  called  "Cross 
Hill."  Ordnance  Memoir  IIS.  There  are  some  headstones 
of  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  in  the  grave- 
yard ;  drawings  of  two  of  them  are  given  in  the  Journal 
of  the  Kilkenny  Archceol.  Soc.  for  1858.  One  com- 
memorates Rvhart  Kar,  of  the  date  of  1616,  and  the  other 
commemorates  E.M.,  a  minister,  perhaps  the  letters  are 
IT.  TF.,—"  William  Wallace,  Mr.  of  Artes  serveth  the 
cure."     Ulst.  Visit,  1622. 

"A  few  years  ago,"  says  Dr.  Reeves,  Eccl.  Antiq..  p.  79, 
"a  hoard  of  silver  coins,   280   in   number,   was  found  in  a 

*  The  present  Protestant  Church  was  erected  in  Dervock,  in  1831, 
by  means  of  a  loan  of  £600  from  the  Board  of  First  Fruits,  and  £565 
raised  by  subscriptions.  The  old  church  was  blown  up  by  gun 
powder  placed  under  the  floor.  It  was  very  well-known  that  the  out- 
rage was  committed  by  some  of  the  congregation,  who  were  desirous 
of  having  a  church  erected  in  Dervock.  In  every  part  of  the  County 
of  Antrim,  household  tales  are  told  of  the  good  prices  that  were  got 
for  vicious  horses,  or  sickly  cows,  when  the  owner  was  unscrupulous 
enough  to  swear,  that  they  had  been  stolen  or  killed  by  some  one 
unknown,  and  the  Grand  Jury  levied  the  price  on  the  Papist  inhabitants 
of  the  parish,  by,  what  was  popularly  called,  "the  Eobbery  Cut." 
Long  after  the  "  Cut  "  had  disappeared  its  effects  on  public  morals 
remained.  The  following  curious  story  gathered  up  by  the  officers 
of  the  Ordnance  Survey,  is  preserved  in  the  Memoir  MS.  *'  It  is 
stated  that  the  persons  concerned  in  the  explosion  of  the  church  at 
Derrykeighan,  represented  to  the  Lord  Lieutenant,  that  the  country 
was  full  of  rebels,  and  that  the  church  was  blown  up  by  them." 

I 


130  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

field  outside  the  Churchyard  ;  with  the  exception  of  a  Trajan 
they  were  all  Saxon,  of  Alhelstan,  Eadmund,  Eadred,  Eadwig, 
Eadgar — the  last  being  the  most  numerous." 

There  was  a  graveyard  in  which  coffins  and  bones  were 
found  in  the  townland  of  Mostragee  ;  it  was  in  the  farm  of 
Robert  Haltridge,  but  not  a  trace  of  it  now  remains. — Ord. 
Survey  Mem.  IIS. 

Another  ancient  graveyard  was  about  30  perches  east  of 
Gracehill  House,  in  MullaghdufF,  it  was  a  few  perches  from 
the  stream  that  divides  Gracehill  from  Carnkirn,  and  opposite 
to  the  great  fort  in  Carnkirn,  The  graveyard  is  now  com- 
pletely removed.*  Near  its  site,  and  in  the  same  field,  are 
three  artificial  caves,  the  entrances  to  which  are  now  closed 
up. 

The  following  antiquarian  notes  are  collected  from  the 
Ordn.  Survey  Mem.  MS  : — 

In  Bellisle,  a  Grey-Beard  Jar,  with  date  of  1661,  found  by  James 
Martin,  of  Islandhoe  ;  a  gold  ornament,  like  the  handle  of  a  door,  or 
the  hilt  of  a  sword  (a  fibula),  found  by  one  Mitchell,  sold  for  six 
guineas.  In  Carnculagh,  silver  coins  were  found  ;  a  human 
skeleton  was  found  seven  feet  under  the  surface,  in  a  fort,  and 
near  it  a  bronze  pin  about  thirteen  inches  long.  In  Stroan,  a 
bronze  celt,  found  by  Samuel  Kennedy ;  a  large  flint  arrowhead 
54  inches  long— supposed  to  have  been  two  inches  longer — 34 
inches  broad  at  greatest  breadth,  found  by  William  Smith  near 
a  fort ;  a  wooden  vessel,  containing  butter,  found  by  James 
Dobbin  ;  there  are  two  caves  near  the  fort  in  W.  Smith's  farm.  In 
Magheradonnell,  a  hatchet  of  bronze  ;  a  carved  piece  of  wood,  found 
by  Gordon  Lyle  ;  a  wooden  article  like  a  cart  wheel,  3  inches  thick, 
3  feet  in  diameter,  a  hole  in  the  centre  G  inches  in  diameter,  curiously 
carved  in  circles  round  the  outside,  found  by  James  M 'Kinney.  In 
Carncoygy,  there  was  a  fort  and  a  cave  in  John  Lyle's  farm,   but 

*  One  of  the  boundaries  of  the  barony  of  Carey  at  this  place,  as 
given  in  the  Down  Survey,  is  "a  little  carne  of  stones  called  Glenan- 
patrick,"  which  would  seem  to  indicate,  that  the  foundation  of  this 
church  was  ascribed  to  St.  Patrick. 


THE  PARISH  OP  BALLYMONEY.  1'31 

destroyed,  In  Ballyhibistock.  a  very  slender  bronze  arrow  head,  fouml 
by  James  Moore.  In  DerrykeigJian,  17  peices  of  ancient  silver  coins 
found  in  1834,  by  C.  M'Cahan.  In  Carnaff,  there  was  an  earthern 
fort  on  the  farm  of  Eobert  Nevin,  near  the  Covenanting  Meeting- 
house, it  is  destroyed  ;  there  was  a  cave  in  it  in  which  4  silver  coins 
were  found.  In  Lisnahrauyh,  several  caves  are  in  James  Woodside's 
farm,  but  closed.  In  Dervock,  Edward  M'Laughlin,  in  blasting  a 
rock,  a  little  N.E.  of  the  Meeting-house  in  CarncuUagh,  found  a  bar 
of  gold,  for  which  he  got  30  guineas,  about  30  years  ago.  In  Bally- 
nagor,  a  wooden  vessel,  hollowed  out  of  the  solid,  containing  a 
leathern  bag  in  which  there  was  butter,  found  by  Samuel  M 'Caw, 
In  Drumcrottagh,  a  crystal  stone  as  large  as  a  large  nut,  foundin  1837 
by  Daniel  M'Mullan  ;  a  bronze  hatchet,  found  by  Tiobert  M'Cauley. 
In  Livery,  there  is  a  "Giant's  Grave"  on  the  property  of  James 
Hutchinson,  Esq.,  it  is  on  the  precipice  above  the  river  bush  on  the 
east  side,  and  about  40  perches  S.  W.  of  Bush  Bank  House  ;  the  grave 
is  19  feet  long,  3  feet  high  and  3  feet  wide,  composed  of  earth  and  a 
few  stones — it  is  in  "Andrew's  Grove."  It  is  said  that  there  was  an 
ancient  castle  at  a  short  distance  nearly  south  of  Bushbank  House. 
A  gold  cup  was  found  by  Angus  M'llernock,  about  40  yeas  ago — he 
gave  it  to  his  landlord.  In  Mostragee,  many  wooden  vessels,  in- 
cluding a  meddar  hooped  round  the  mouth  with  a  band  of  leather, 
found  by  John  M'Aleese  ;  a  very  large  and  perfect  bronze  sword  2  feet 
long  and  1  g  inches  broad  at  the  broadest,  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Robert  Haltridge.  In  Carnfeogue,  is  a  standing  stone  on  the  farm  of 
John  Jamieson,  4  feet  high,  1  foot  7  inches  broad,  and  1  foot  thick, 
about  4  years  ago,  4  feet  was  broken  oif  the  top  ;  it  stands  100  perches 
N.  of  the  road.  In  Tullyhan  is  a  conspicous  fort,  30  yards  S.  of  the 
BaUymoney  and  Ballycastle  Road  ;  it  is  52  feet  in  diameter  ;  there 
was  a  cave  commencing  at  the  north  side  of  it  and  turning  round  by 
the  trench  to  the  east  side,  it  was  destroyed  three  years  ago— an  urn 
tilled  with  small  bones  and  ashes  was  found  in  it.  In  Mullagkduff, 
on  the  farm  of  Samuel  Brown  there  is  a  fort,  conspicuously  located  20 
perches  north  of  the  same  road  ;  on  a  hill  in  the  same  farm  there  is  a 
cave  containing  two  rooms  but  are  now  closed  up. 

Note  on  the  town  of  Dervock. — Richard  Dobs,  in  his 
account  of  the  roads  of  the  County  of  Antrim,  written  in 
1683,  mentions  a  road  from  "  Clogh  Mills  by  a  little  town 
called  Dervoge,  with  a  fair  stone  bridge  over  Dervoge  water, 


132  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

by  Derrykyghan,  and  so  to  Bushmills,  where  over  the  Bush 
water  is  such  another  bridge,  and  so  to  Dunluce,  or  Dunluce 
Hall,  the  Earl  of  Antrim's  chief  house."  On  the  20th  of 
October,  1641,  the  Earl  of  Antrim  leased  to  Dr.  Alexander 
Colville,  Carncollaght  (Carncullagh),  Garvoag  (Dervock), 
and  other  lands  for  99  years,  redeemable,  or  paying  £1,000. 
The  reversionary  interest  passed  into  the  possession  of  the 
Cromwellian  Officers,  and  in  the  commencement  of  the  last 
century,  Dervoge  belonged  to  Lord  Massareene.  In  1742 
George  Macartney  purchased  the  lands  of  Dervock  for 
£7,205,  from  the  trustees  of  the  will  of  the  Hon.  John 
Skeffington.  The  town  of  Dervock  was  built  in  1790,  by 
Lord  Macartney,  the  grandson  of  that  George  Macartney 
who  purchased  the  property.  In  1881  it  consisted  of  83 
houses,  occupied  by  302  persons. 

On  entering  on  the  Civil  parish  of  Billy,  from  that  of 
Derrykeighan.  the  first  townland  which  we  meet  is  Urbal 
(Earhall — "the  tail")  so  named  from  the  manner  that  it  juts 
out  from  the  body  of  the  pai'ish.  The  Ordnance  Memoir  MS. 
mentions  two  artificial  caves  in  the  townland  of  Moycraig, 
one  in  the  farm  of  Robert  M'Conaghy,  21  feet  in  length,  5|- 
feet  in  height,  and  4J  feet  in  width  ;  and,  another  in  the 
farm  of  James  Welsh,  the  entrance  to  which  was  closed. 
There  was  formerly  in  this  townland  a  little  burial-ground. 
One  of  the  three  divisions  of  the  townland  is  Moycraig- 
Macallister,    so    called   from    the    family   of   that   name.* 

*  Among  the  "Depositions"  preserved  in  Trinity  College,  Dublin, 
is  one  of  Coll  M'Alister,  who  resided  at  a  place  called  Ciirutrim,  in 
parish  of  Derrykeighan.  He  was  asked  "if  he  was  in  the  tight  at 
Lainey  (the  battle  at  the  Cross,  see  p,  125),  when  the  English  and 
the  Scotch,  on  the  11th  of  February,  16il  (2),  called  black  Cfriday, 
were  routed,  and  about  700  hundred  British  slain."  To  which  he 
replied  that  "he  came  that  very  daye  unto  the  Lainey,  120  cowes 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLYMOIS'EY.  133 

The  Ordnance  Map  mark  in  Carnbore  a  place  called  Keel, 
whicli  "was  in  early  times  the  site  of  a  church.  Stone-lined 
graves  are  found  in  John  Neill's  garden,  and  the  bodies  of 
children  and  poor  persons  were  interred  in  it  until  about  100 
years  ago. 

In  the  adjoining  townland  of  Toberdoney,  there  is,  in 
Mrs.  Walker's  farm,  a  Holy  Well,  near  which  there  was 
formerly  a  cairn  of  stones ;  it  is  now  unhonoured. 

In  Deffrick  there  are  the  remains  of  a  Cashoil,  or  stone 
fort,  which  is  marked  on  the  Ordnance  Map  "  Castle 
Deffrick."  It  is  44  feet  in  diameter  in  the  interior,  and 
surrounded  by  a  wall  of  small  stones  and  earth  eighteen 
feet  broad  ;  the  outside  was  faced  with  large  waterworn 
stones,  but  the   most  of  them   have   been  removed ;  there  is 

being  lately  taken  from  him  for  not  compliance  with  the  Irish,  to 
get  restitution  of  them.  And  Allester  M'CoU  M'Donnell  (the  British 
forces  then  approaching),  made  this  Examinate  to  joyn  him  and  his 
men,  and  upon  joining  batteU  the  Brittish  were  defeated,  and  enough 
of  them  killed,  but  this  Examinate  sayeth  he  killed  none  of  those 
who  would  have  killed  him."  This  man  honestly  describes  the 
deplorable  state  in  which  the  country  then  was  ;  "  the  Irish  being 
jealous  of  the  English  and  Scotts,  and  the  English  and  Scotts  jealous 
of  the  Irish,  without  any  difference  or  distinction,  the  Irish  killed 
all  the  English  or  Scotts  they  could  lay  hands  on,  and  the  English 
and  Scotts  did  the  like  unto  the  Irish,  except  some  few  Irishmen 
who  showed  mercy  unto  the  English  and  the  Scotts,  whereof,  this 
Examinate  was  one  who  did  as  much  for  the  preservation  of  the 
Brittish  as  lay  in  his  power."  The  Clanalaster  or  MacAlisters  are 
descended  from  Alaster  M'Donnell,  a  great  grandson  of  the  cele- 
brated Somerled  thane  of  Argyle  ;  the  principal  possessions  of  this 
family  lay  in  Knapdale.  Many  of  this  race  accompanied  the 
M'Donnells  in  their  settlement  in  Antrim.  "  Neece  Ro  (Angus 
Roe)  M'Donagh  M 'Allester,"  was  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Scotts 
killed  in  the  Route  in  1584,  by  the  soldiers  under  Francis  Stafford. 
Sir  Alaster  M'Donnell  was  married  to  one  of  the  MacAUasters  of  the 
Loupe  in  Scotland.  See  Hill's  McDonnells.  The  MacAlisters  of 
Moycraig  are  now  Presbyterians. 


134  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

a  cave  under  a  part  of  this  parapet.  The  Cashiol  rises 
from  six  to  eight  feet  above  the  level  of  the  field,  and  the 
surrounding  parapet  rises  about  four  feet  above  the  interior. 
There  are  two  entrances  now  reduced  to  irregular  gaps,  one 
on  the  north  and  the  other  on  the  south  side.  The  townland 
of  Loughlynch  presents  another  kind  of  wncient  Irish  fortress 
— an  artificial  island  or  Crannoge.  There  was  formerly  here 
a  lake  covering  about  16  Cunningham  acres,  but  it  is  now 
drained.  In  the  centre  of  this  lake  was  an  island  partly 
natural  and  partly  of  artificial  construction,  hence  it  was 
named  Inis-locha-leitliinnsi — "  the  island  of  the  lough  of  the 
half-island,"  which  has  now  assumed  the  modern  form  of 
Loughlynchy.  The  Four  Masters  relate,  under  the 
year  1544 — 

"  An  army  was  led  by  O'Donnell  into  the  Route,  and  took  Inish- 
an-lochain  (Inishloughan  on  the  Bann),  whereon  MacQuillan  had  a 
wooden  castle  and  an  impregnable  fastness.  O'Donnell  took  the 
castle  and  gave  it  to  O'Kane.  On  this  expedition  O'Donnell  also 
took  the  castle  of  P)aile-an-lacha  (Ballylough),  and  obtained  many 
spoils,  consisting  of  weapons,  armour,  copper,  iron,  butter,  and 
provisions,  in  these  towns.  He  afterwards  took  the  Island  of  Loch- 
burran  (supposed  to  be  at  a  place  called  Loughaverra,  in  the  parish 
of  Ballintoy,  but  see  p.  56),  and  the  Island  of  Loch-Leithinnsi, 
where  he  likewise  obtained  many  spoils.  He  burned  the  whole 
country  around,  and  then  returned  home  safe  after  victory." 

In  consequence  of  this  raid  M'Quillin  was  necessitated  to 
invite  the  assistance  of  the  M'Donnells  to  recover  his  strong- 
holds from  the  O'Kanes,  and  his  new  allies  eventually  dis- 
possossed  both  him   and  the   O'Kanes^'     On  the  island  are 

*  Mr,  Hill  tells  us  in  his  MacDonnells  of  Antrim,  that  the  cele- 
brated Coll  Kittagh  M'Donnell,  or  as  he  was  called  among  his  island 
kinsmen.  Coll  Keitache  MacOillaspkk  vie  Coll,  was  born  in  the 
island  of  Loughlynch,  about  the  year  1570.  Ciotach  means  left- 
handed.  He  was  the  son  of  Gillaspic,  son  of  Coll,  an  elder  brother 
of   Sorley   Boy.     Gillaspic  was  fostered  among  the  O'Kanes  ;    the 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLYMONEY.  135 

the  remains  of  a  earn  20  yards  in  diameter,  under  which, 
according  to  local  tradition,  one  M'Quillan  is  interred,  who 
fled  for  safety  to  the  island  after  the  battle  of  Ora,  buc  was 
pursued  by  one  Owen  Gar  Magee,  who  swam  across  to  the 
island  and  slew  him.  A  canoe,  twelve  feet  long,  hollowed 
out  of  an  oak  tree,  was  found  here  in  I8l7.  Several  other 
antiquities  have  been  found  in  Loughlynch,  among  them  the 
top  of  a  wooden  churn,  formerly  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Charles  Douglass.  There  is  a  cave,  said  to  be  50  yards  in 
length,  in  the  farm  of  James  M'Cormick  in  this  townland. 
In  a  fort  now  destroyed,  which    was  in  the  townland   of 

earliest  notices  of  him  occurs,  when  on  the  20th  of  July,  1566,  there 
was  brought  into  the  camp  of  the  Deputy  Sussex  at  Coleraine. 
"Colloh  M'Connell's  son,  a  little  child  which  was  kept  with 
O'Keanne. "  He  eventually  married  the  daughter  of  his  foster-father, 
but  shortly  afterwards  he  was  killed  at  a  bull-fight,  given  in  his 
honour  in  Ballycastle  on  the  day  that  he  came  of  age.  His  wife 
bore  him  a  son,  Coll,  who  was  born  in  the  island-fortress  of  her 
father.  Coll  passed  his  youth  in  Colousay,  and  grew  up  to  be  the 
terror  of  the  Siol-Diarmid,  or  Clan-Campbell.  Several  times  he  was 
placed  by  his  clan  in  charge  of  the  important  castle  of  Dunyveg.  He 
was  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  Argyle  from  1639  till  1644,  when  the 
brilliant  victories  of  his  son,  Alaster,  obtained  his  release.  Old 
Coll  Kittagh  was  again  placed  by  the  Scottish  Royalists  in  the 
command  of  Dunyveg,  which  he  held  until  1647,  when  he  was  en- 
trapped by  David  Leslie,  who  promised  him  honorable  protection  ; 
but,  says  Sir  James  Turner,  "  he  was  afterwards  hanged  by  a  jury  of 
Argyle's  Sheriffe  depute,  one  George  Campbell,  from  whose  sentence 
few  are  said  to  have  escaped  that  kind  of  death."  He  was  executed, 
according  to  the  Account  of  the  Clan  Afaclean,  in  the  cleft  of  a  rock 
in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  Dunstaffnage  Castle.  "  Across 
this  cleft  the  murderers  placed  the  mast  of  Macdonald's  own  galley, 
and  leading  him  forth  with  the  halter  round  his  neck,  he  was 
suspended  to  the  mast,  and  perished  amid  their  fiendish  yells."  His 
remains  were  interred  in  the  old  churchyard  of  Oban.  Coll  Kittagh 
was  father  of  Alaster,  afterwards  Sir  Alaster,  celebrated  in  connection 
with  the  attack  on  the  garrison  at  the  Vow  Ferry,  and  with  the 
battle  at  the  Cross,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Kuockanoss. 


l36  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

Glassaneeran,  there  was  found  a  square  paved  hearth ;  there 
was  a  small  cave  under  the  fort.  In  the  same  townland  an 
ancient  plough  was  found,  and  the  irons  of  a  second  plough, 
the  sock  of  which  was  two  feet  and  a  half  long.  There  is  a 
cave  in  Carnbore,  in  the  farm  of  John  Neill  ;  in  this 
townland  was  found,  in  1818,  an  eight-sided  meather, 
capable  of  holding  a  quart ;  it  was  hollowed  out  of  a  piece 
of  wood  and  curiously  carved.  In  Toberdoney  there  is  a 
cave  in  the  farm  of  Kobert  Montgomery,  in  which  a  hearth 
and  cinders  were  found.  Ordnance  Memoir  MS.  The 
Ifownland  of  Islandrose  was  the  scene  of  one  of  the  terrible 
massacres  which  occurred  during  the  war  of  1641.  In  1662 
was  published  in  London  a  pamphlet  entitled — A  Collection 
of  some  of  the  massacres  (fee,  committed  on  the  Irish  in 
Ireland  since  the  2Srd  of  October,  1641,  under  the  heading — 
County  of  Antrim,  1641-2,  occurs  the  following  statement: 
"  About  the  same  time,  Captain  Fleming  and  other  officers 
of  the  same  regiment,  commanding  a  party,  smothered  to 
death  two  hundred  and  twenty  women  and  children  in  two 
caves.  And  about  the  same  time  also  Captain  Cunningham 
murdered  about  sixty-three  women  and  children  in  the  isles 
of  Ross."  The  local  tradition  is  that  this  murder  was 
perpetrated  at  the  cave  in  Mr.  Montgomery's  farm,  which 
is  in  Toberdoney,  but  very  near  the  boundary  of  Islandrose. 
This  year  several  sculls  were  dug  up  at  the  mouth  of  the 
cave.  Mr.  Hill  thinks  (McDonnell's  oj  Antrim)  p.  68,  that 
this  is  one  of  the  massacres  to  Avhich  Sir  James  M'Donnell 
refers  in  his  letter  (see  p.  52),  where  he  says — "  But  for 
your  people  they  killed  of  women  and  children  aboute  3 
score."  If,  however,  we  credit  the  "Depositions"  preserved 
in  Trinity  College,  the  Irish  of  that  j)art  of  Antrim  were 
guilty  of  retaliations  not  less  reprehensible. 


THE  PARISH  OF    BALLYMONEY.  137 

PARISH  PRIESTS. 

From  an  early  period  ;  at  least  from  the  1641  war,  Bally- 
money  was  united  to  Rasharkin,  but  about  the  year  1810 
it  commenced  to  have  a  permanently  resident  curate. 
Father  Patrick  O'Neill  was  appointed  to  it  from  the  cui'acy 
of  Drummaul,  on  the  10th  of  October^  1810.  He  removed 
to  Ai-moy  in  March,  1812.  After  this  several  curates 
officiated  for  short  periods.  Father  Arthur  O'Neill  on  his 
return  from  college  in  1815,  was  re-appointed  curate,  he  had 
previously  officiated  in  the  district  immediately  after  his 
ordination  in  1808.  The  following  memorandum  occurs  in 
a.  register  kept  b}  him  :— "  18th  June,  1815,  I.  A.  O'N. 
entered  on  the  parochial  duties  of  the  parish  of  Ballymoney, 
Bushmills,  &c.,  &c."  He  officiated  in  Ballymoney  and 
Bushmills  until  the  17th  of  May,  1817,  when  he  entered  on 
the  duties  of  his  new  parish  of  Carrickfergus  and  Larne. 
After  this  period  the  parish  was  attended  by  several  clergy- 
men, the  curates  of  Father  M'Mullan,  P.P.,  Rasharkin,  but 
this  ai'rangement  was  very  unsatisfactory  to  the  Catholics 
of  Ballymoney.  In  1820  they  deputed  one  William 
M'CafFerty  to  lay  their  grievances  before  the  bishop  and 
clergy  at  the  Conference  in  Antrim.  M'CafFerty's  words 
were — "  I  have  come  the  whole  way  from  Ballymoney  to 
tell  you,  that  the  people  of  the  parish  are  dying  without  the 
sacraments,  and  the  children  are  taken  to  the  Protestant 
minister  for  baptism ;  and  if  you  can  reconcile  such  a  state 
of  things  to  your  conscience,  you  may  do  so,  my  lord."  No 
change  was  made  at  that  time,  but  the  statement  of  William 
M'Cafferty  made  a  deep  impression  on  Dr.  Crolly,  then  the 
parish  priest  of  Belfast,  who  was  present ;  and  as  soon  as  he 
became    bishop    he    caused    Father    M'Mullan    to    resign 


138  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

Ballyraoney  and  Bushmills,  and   appointed   Father  Henry 
M'Laughlin  to  the  new  parish. 

An  account  of  Father  MLaughlin  has  been  already  given 
at  p.  116,  In  a  letter  to  the  late  Mr.  John  Hanna,  Down- 
patrick,  written  in  1844,  Father  M'liaughlin  says —  "  You 
express  a  wish  that  I  would  say  something  of  the  parish  of 
Ballymoney,  my  former  charge — I  became  parish  priest  of 
that  parish  on  the  1st  of  August,  1825,  and  remained  there 
until  I  removed  here  (Loughguile.)  I  was  there  nine  years. 
I  had  four  Stations,  viz  : — Ballymoney,  Bushmills,  Bally- 
magariy  (this  is  now  removed  to  Portrush,  it  being  near  to 
that  town),  and  Dervock.  The  Eev.  Peter  M'Mullan  was 
before  my  time  parish  priest  over  these  along  with  Rasharkin. 
I  believe  that  I  was  the  first  parish  priest  of  those  places, 
distinct  from  the  parish  priest  of  Rasharkin,  since  the 
Pseudo-Reformation."  Father  M'Laughlin  lodged  at  Col- 
dagh,  in  the  house  of  Mr.  James  Shiels.  The  priests  of 
Ballymoney  resided  there  for  twenty  years,  because  it  was 
convenient  for  attending  the  people  of  Bushmills  and 
Ballymagarry,  for  at  that  time  there  was  no  direct  road 
from  Ballymoney  to  Dervock.  Father  M'Erlain  in  his 
Ballymoney  and  Derrykeighaii,  says  on  the  authority  of  a 
gentleman  who  lived  in  Ballymoney  at  that  time — "  A 
general  jubilee  took  place  in  1826  ;  the  amount  of  good  that 
was  effected  in  that  small  congregation  through  the  zeal  and 
earnestness  of  Father  M'Loughlin,  was  simply  indescribable. 
At  five  o'clock  each  morning  he  was  at  the  altar  ;  and  it  was 
nothing  short  of  miraculous  to  see  the  old  chapel  crammed 
to  the  door  at  that  early  hour,  by  as  earnest  a  congregation 
as  could  be  found  in  the  kingdom.  Numbers,  till  that  time, 
had  been  careless  and  indifferent ;  but  a  wholesome  change 
took  place,  which  showed  clearly  what  a  zealous  and  fiiithful 


THE  PARISH  OP    BALLYMONEY.  139 

pastor  can  accomplish."  Father  M'Loughlin  erected  the 
Church  of  Ballymoney,  which  was  consecrated  on  the  11th 
of  May,  1834,  and  on  the  following  day  he  was  appointed 
to  the  Parish  of  Loughguile. 

Dr.  Crolly,  when  the  parish  became  vacant,  severed  the 
Bushmills  and  Ballymagarry  districts,  and  having  arranged 
the  parish  as  it  is  a,t  present,  he  conferred  it  on  Father 
James  Denvir. 

Father  Denvir  was  born  in  Ballynarry,  in  the  Catholic 
parish  of  Kilclief;  received  a  preliminary  education  in 
Downpatrick  •  entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  on  the  25th  of  August,  1825  ;  was  ordained  in 
Belfast  by  Dr.  Crolly,  September  18th,  1829  ;  officiated  as 
Curate  in  Downpatrick  and  Kilmore ;  was  appointed  parish 
priest  of  Ballymoney,  in  May,  1834,  During  his  mission  in 
Ballymoney  he  procured  a  site  for  a  church  in  Dervock. 
He  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Aghagallon  towards  the 
end  of  1836  ;  but  did  not  remove  from  Ballymoney  until 
January  of  1837.  The  parish  was  attended  for  some  weeks 
by  the  clergymen  of  the  neighbouring  parishes  until 
the  8th  of  March,  1837,  when  the  Kev.  William  M'Cartan 
was  appointed.  (For  further  account  of  Father  Denvir  see 
Parish  of  Upper  Mourne^  Voh  1.) 

An  account  of  Father  M'Cartan  has  already  been  given 
at  p.  91,  He  erected  the  Church  of  Dervock,  and  made 
some  improvements  in  Ballymoney,  Father  M'Cartan 
was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Rasharkin,  in  September, 
I847j  when  the  Rev.  John  O'Heggarty  was  appointed  to 
Ballymoney. 

Father  O'Heggarty  was  a  native  of  the  neighbourhood  of 
Kilrea,  in  the  County  of  Derry  ;  was  curate  in  Ahoghill 
and    Dunsford ;     appointed    parish    priest   of    Maghera    or 


140  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

Bryansford  in  1829,  he  rebuilt  the  church  of  Ballyhafry  or 
Bryansford,  and  incurred  the  hostility  of  Lord  Roden  by 
opposing  the  New  Reformation,  patronized  by  that  zealot,  who 
served  notice  on  him  to  give  up  possession  of  the  church 
which  he  had  rebuilt.  Lord  Eodeu,  however,  eventually 
shrunk  from  the  public  odium  of  such  a  proceeding.  Father 
O'Heggarty  was  appointed  to  the  parish  of  Armoy  and  Ballin- 
toy,  on  the  25th  of  March,  1843,  from  which  he  was  appointed 
the  parish  of  Ballymoney,  in  September,  1847,  where  he  died 
on  the  1st  of  March,  1853,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in 
the  church  under  the  altar,  which  stood  where  the  Pieta 
is  now  located,  in  the  west  end  of  the  southern  aisle  of  the 
new  church.  Over  his  tomb  there  is  in  the  tesselated  pave- 
ment, a  marble  slab,  which  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

Of  your  charity, 

Pray  for  the  soul  of  the 

Eev.  John  O'Heggarty,  P.P., 

Ballymoney, 

Who  died  March  1,  1853, 

Aged  64  years. 

Requkscat  hi  pace. 

By  his  will  Father  O'Heggarty  bequeathed  money  and 
certain  house  property  in  Belfast  to  Dr.  Denvir  and  all 
future  bishops  of  Down  and  Connor,  and  to  the  parish 
priests  of  Ballymoney  and  Kilrea  for  all  time,  in  trust,  to 
pay  to  the  parish  priest  of  Ballymoney  £40  per  annum,  for 
a  daily  Mass  in  Ballymoney,  and  the  remainder  he 
bequeathed  for  certain  educational  purposes.  His  brother, 
Charles  O'Heggarty,  disputed  the  validity  of  the  will,  and 
the  property  was  dissipated*  in  a  tedious  chancery  suit  of 
several  years  duration.  Charles  O'Heggarty  was  reduced 
to  poverty,  and  Dr.  Denvir,  the  sole  executor,  had  to  pay  a 
large  amount  of  legal  expenses  which  the  property  was  un- 


THE  PARISH  OF    BALLYMONEY.  141 

able  to  meet.  After  the  death  of  Father  O'PIeggarty  the 
parish  was  administered  by  his  curate,  Father  Downey, 
until  the  appointment  of  the  next  parish  priest,  Father 
O'Loughlin. 

The  Kev.  Henry  O'Loughlin  is  a  native  of  the  townland 
of  Culcavey,  in  the  vicinity  of  Hillsborough.  After  study- 
ing in  the  Diocesan  College,  Belfast,  he  entered  the  Logic 
Class  in  the  college  of  Maynooth,  in  August,  1838;  was 
ordained  in  1844  ;  was  shortly  afterwards  appointed  Curate 
of  Belfast ;  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Larne,  in  March, 
1852  ;  from  which  he  was  appointed  parish  priest  of 
Ballymoney,  in  March,  1854.  During  Father  O'Loughlin's 
incumbency  a  lady  became  a  Catholic  under  his  instruction ; 
her  friends  were  dissatisfied,  but  at  length  a  compromise 
was  made,  that,  if  she  were  to  continue  a  Catholic,  Father 
O'Loughlin  should  discuss  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  with 
some  Protestant  minister  in  her  presence.  Father 
O'Loughlin  readily  accepted  the  proposal.  A  Rev.  Mr. 
M'Carthy  was  brought  from  Dublin,  and  the  discussion, 
which  came  off  in  the  drawing-room  of  the  lady's  brother, 
continued  for  three  days.  Mr.  M'Carthy  had  the  assistance 
of  six  other  ministers,  while  Father  O'Loughlin  was  not 
aided  by  any  clergyman.  At  the  conclusion  the  lady 
declared  that  "  the  discussion  had  thoroughly  convinced  her 
of  the  truth  of  the  Catholic  religion,  and  confirmed  her 
belief  in  the  Catholic  faith."  This  when  published,  was 
entitled  "  The  Drawing  -  Room  Disciission."  Father 
O'Loughlin,  on  the  14th  of  October,  1856,  accepted  the 
united  parish  of  Drummaul  and  Antrim  ;  and  on  the  same 
day  the  present  parish  priest,  Father  John  M'Erlane  was 
appointed  to  Ballymoney,  but  he  did  not  take  possession  of 
the  parish  until  March   13th,    1857.      In   the  interval  the 


142  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR, 

parish   was   administered   by   the  Rev.   Patrick   M'Alister, 
the  present  parish  priest  of  Ballycastle. 

The  Rev,  John  M'Erlane  was  born  in  the  parish  of 
Duneane.  After  studying  in  the  Diocesan  College,  Belfast, 
he  entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth, 
October  8th,  1845 ;  was  ordained  in  the  College  Chapel  by 
Dr.  Murray,  on  the  2nd  of  June,  1849  ;  appointed  Curate 
of  Ahoghill,  November  1st,  1849  ;  Cux-ate  of  Carrickfergus 
in  October,  1851  ;  Curate  of  Loughinisland  April  23rd, 
1852  ;  Dean  of  the  Diocesan  College,  and  Chaplain  of  the 
Workhouse,  Belfast,  in  February,  1854,  from  which  he  was 
promoted  to  the  parish  of  Ballymoney,  ()ctober  14th,  i856. 
During  his  incumbency,  in  addition  to  the  other  great  and 
good  works,  he  has  erected  the  church,  parochial  house,  and 
schools  of  Ballymoney,  and  rebuilt  the  church  of  Dervock, 
and  erected  the  school  attached  to  that  church. 

CHURCHES. 
Ballymoney  Church.  We  have  no  means  of  knowing  to 
what  places  the  Catholics  betook  themselves  for  the  cele- 
bration of  Mass  when  their  churches  were  taken  from  them  ; 
V)ut  tradition  has  preserved  the  memory  of  the  places  which 
they  used  since  the  commencement  of  the  last  century, 
"  One  of  these  was  in  the  townland  of  Upper  Ballybrake," 
writes  Father  William  M'Cartan,  "  where  a  Protestant 
family,  named  Hayes,  resided ;  another  was  in  Lower 
Ballybrake,  at  the  side  of  Daniel  Murphy's  house,  where  a 
large  tree  still  stands,  which  shaded  the  altar.  The  late 
Colonel  O'Hara,  ot  O'Hara  Brook,  afforded  the  persecuted 
of  those  days  every  })rotection  in  his  power ;  lastly,  they 
crept  into  town,  and  Mass  was  said  by  the  Rev.  Arthur 
Brennan,   on   a   table   in  the  nuvrket   house.     He  died,  in 


THE  PARISH  OP    BALLYMONEY.  143 

1795.  The  old  chapel,  which  was  built  of  brick,  stood  in 
the  middle  of  the  present  graveyard  ;  it  was  commenced  by 
the  Rev.  Peter  M'Mullan  ;  it  remained  unroofed,  and  only 
in  part  built  during  the  year  1798,  after  which  it  was 
finished,  principally  through  the  assistance  of  the  late 
George  Hutchinson,  Esq.,  of  Ballymoney.  The  new  chapel 
was  erected  by  the  Rev.  Henry  M'Laughlin  on  a  new  site, 
at  the  distance  of  some  yards  from  the  old  chapel  *  I  had 
the  remains  of  the  old  chapel  taken  down  a  few  years  ago." 
Father  M'Erlain,  in  Ballymoney  and  DerryJceighan,  tells 
what  Colonel  O'Hara's  kindness  consisted  in.  He  sent  to 
the  pi'iest  and  people  a  message  not  to  assemble  until  he 
had  passed  to  the  Protestant  church,  and  to  be  dispersed 
before  his  return,  that  he  might  not  as  a  magistrate  be 
obliged  to  take  cognisance  of  their  proceedings.  An  effort 
was  made  about  the  year  1785  to  build  a  little  church,  as 
the  following  receipt,  signed  by  the  parish  priest  of  Ra- 
sharkin,  shows  : — 

Received  from  Thomas  Sloan  and  William  Cramsie,  Eight  Pounds, 
Three  Shillings  and  Seven  pence  Sterling,  on  account  of  subscription 
money  for  building  a  Chappell  in  Ballymoney,  September  1st, 
1785— five. 

£8     3    7  Arthur  Brenan. 

Father  Henry  M'Laughlin,  in  a  letter,  says — '•  The  old 
chapel  in  Ballymoney  was  built  in  the  Rev.  Peter  M'Mullan's 
time  ;  it  was  thatched  and  had  a  hip  roof,  and  was  called  the 
"  Pit,"  from  the  resemblance  it  had  to  a  bin  of  potatoes.  I 
commenced  the  present  chapel  there  in  the  June  of  1832^ 
and  had  it  consecrated  by  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Crolly,  now 
the  Primate,   on  the   11th  of  May,    1834;  it  cost  nearly 

*  It  was  roofed  by  a  subscription  organised  by  Mr.  Hutchinson  and 
Mr.  John  Doherty  of  Ballybrake.  The  graves  of  the  families  of 
Messrs.  Doherty  and  Canning  occupy  the  site  of  the  little  church. 


144  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

£1000.  It  is  one  of  the  neatest  and  best  built  chapels  in 
Ulster,  and  far  exceeds  anything  in  the  diocese,  except  in 
Belfast.  It  has  attached  to  it  a  commodious  parochial 
house,  and  fully  an  acre  of  land  held  for  ever.  The  grant 
was  made  by  the  late  Lord  Mark  Kerr  in  the  handsomest 
manner,"*  .£120  was  subscribed  by  the  Catholics  of  the 
parish,  about  the  same  sum  by  Protestants  of  all  denomi- 
nations, £90  on  the  occasion  of  the  dedication,  and  the 
remainder  was  collected  outside  the  parish  by  Father 
M'Loughlin.  The  church  was  dedicated  under  the  in- 
vocation of  St.  Patrick.  A  solemn  Mass  was  celebrated  ; 
Dr,  Crolly  officiated  as  priest,  Dr  Denvir,  the  parisli 
priest  of  Downpatrick^  as  deacon,  Rev.  D,  M'Garry,  P.P., 
Aghagallon,  as  sub-deacon,  and  Rev.  John  Lynch,  P,P., 
Ahoghill,  as  Master  of  Ceremonies.  The  sermon  on  the 
occasion  was  preached  by  Dr,  Crolly. 

The  church  grounds  were  much  improved  by  Father 
M'Cartan ;  and  during  the  incumbency  of  Father  O'Heggarty 
about  £300  was  expended  in  improvements  within  the 
church.  Tlie  money  was  advanced  by  Mr.  James  Canning  ; 
thifs  sum  was  afterwards  collected  except  £50,  but  Mf. 
Canning  generously  cancelled  that  part  of  the  debt.      During 

*  The  Earl  of  Antrim  in  writing  to  Father  M'Laughlin  says — 
"London,  Friday,  Sir,  I  had  the  honour  of  receiving  the  Memorial 
from  the  Catholic  Inhabitants  of  Ballymoney  this  morning,  in  answer 
to  which  I  beg  leave  to  say  I  have  given  directions  to  my  friend  and 
agent  Mr.  Charles  M'Gildowney,  to  consult  with  and  grant  to  them 
any  spot  or  portion  of  ground,  which  you  and  they  may  think  necessary 
for  the  object  you  have  in  view,  as  far  as  in  my  power  lies."  Endorsed 
on  the  letter  is  the  following  memorandum — '"  I  received  this  note 
through  Charles  M'Gildowney  Esq.  Mr.  M'Gildowney  on  this  day 
fixed  upon  the  ground  of  our  chapel  and  graveyard." 

IIenuy  M'L\UGULiy. 

Ballymoney,  10th  May,  1832. 


THK  PARISH  OP  BALLYMONEY.  145 

these  impi-ovements  the  altar  was  transferred  from  the  side 
wall  to  the  gable,  and  a  second  altar  erected.  Other 
improvements  were  also  effected  by  Father  O'Loughlin,  but 
the  gi'owing  importance  of  Ballymoney  induced  Father 
M'Erlane  to  erect  a  new  church.  The  foundation  stone  was 
laid  by  Dr.  Dorrian  on  the  17th  of  March,  1875  ;  the  Duke 
of  Norfolk  sent  a  very  large  subscription,  and  the  collection 
amounted  to  an  additional  sum  of  ,£84  10s.  Od.  The  church 
is  built  of  black  Stone  from  the  neighbourhood,  relieved  with 
dressings  of  light-coloured  sandstone  from  Dungannon,  with 
which  the  spire,  which  rises  to  a  height  of  120  feet,  is 
entirely  built.  There  are  no  butresses  except  at  the  west 
gable,  nor  are  they  required  for  the  chapel  of  St.  John  and 
the  Calvary  chapel,  which  project  from  the  northern  aisle 
and  the  porch,  tower  and  sacristy,  from  the  southern  aisle 
break  the  length  of  the  church,  and  give  solidity  to  its 
structure.  The  internal  dimensions  are  110  feet  in  length, 
50  feet  in  breadth,  and  52  feet  to  the  apex  of  the  roof.  It 
is  built  in  the  middle  pointed  style,  and  consists  of  a  nave 
terminating  in  an  apse  and  aisles  terminating  in  chapels,  that 
on  the  south  dedicated  to  St.  Joseph,  and  that  on  the  north 
to  St.  John,  the  Evangelist.  The  pillars  separating  the  nave 
and  aisles  are  of  polished  granite.  The  apse  and  chapels 
have  pannelled  and  decorated  ceilings,  while  the  other  roofs 
are  open,  boarded  and  stained.  A  range  of  cinque-foil 
windows — 26  in  number,  13  on  each  side — in  the  clerestory, 
and  three  double  lighted  traceried  windows  in  the  apse,  with 
the  west-end  window,  light  the  nave  and  sanctuary.  The 
aisles  are  lighted  by  twelve  double  lancet  lights.  All  the 
windows  except  those  in  the  east  and  west  end  are  filled 
with  cathedral  glass  of  a  light-green  colour,  with  white 
borders.     The  apse   windows   are   filled  with    stained  glass, 


146  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

representing  in  the  four  side  lights  the  four  evangelists  with 
their  emblems,  and  in  the  central  light  our  Lord  giving  the 
keys  to  St.  Peter.  The  quatre-foil  over  each'  of  the  three 
double  liglits  in  the  apse  is  filled  with  stained  glass,  repre- 
senting an  angel  holding  an  appropriate  scroll ;  and  a  window 
within  the  chancel  and  opposite  the  sacristy  represents  St. 
Patrick.  The  window  in  the  western  gable,  divided  into 
eight  lights,  each  six  feet  long,  with  a  rose  window  at  top, 
is  filled  with  stained  glass,  representing  events  in  the  life  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin.  The  high  altar  and  two  side  altars 
within  the  sanctuary  are  of  Caen  stone,  with  marble  tops 
and  shafts ;  the  high  altar  is  the  gift  of  the  Royal  Irish 
Constabulary.  Tlie  other  two  ai'e — one  erected  to  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus,  the  gift  of  the  men  of  Ballymoney  ;  and 
another  to  the  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary,  the  gift  of  the 
women  of  Ballymoney.  The  Calvary  Chapel,  built  near  the 
end  of  the  northern  aisle,  contains  a  group  of  figures,  the 
Crucifixion,  the  Blessed  Virgin,  St.  John  the  Evangelist, 
and  St.  Magdalene,  which  produces  a  very  striking  eS'ect  on 
a  person  entering  the  church  from  the  porch  which  is  on 
the  opposite  side.  Tiie  baptismal  font  is  placed  at  the  end 
of  the  northern  aisle  ;  and  in  the  corresj^ouding  end  of  the 
southern  aisle  is  the  Chapel  of  the  Pieta,  which  occupies  the 
site  of  the  altar  of  the  old  church.  The  pulpit  is  of  Caen 
stone,  with  marble  shafts  ;  and  four  of  its  panels  are  orna- 
mented with  figures  of  St.  Ambrose,  St.  Jerome,  St. 
Augustine,  and  St.  Gregory  the  Great.  Each  of  the  Stations 
of  the  Cross  is  presented  by  souie  friend  of  the  church,  one 
by  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  one  by  Chief  Baron  Palles,  ikc. 
The  floor  of  the  sanctuary  is  laid  with  encaustic  tiles  of  a 
rich  pattern.  The  entrance  to  the  nave  and  aisles  is  by  a 
door  in  the  western  gable  and  by  a  porch   on  the  southern 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLYMONEY.  147 

side.  This  magnificent  edifice,  "The  Church  of  our  Lady 
and  St.  Patrick,"  was  dedicated  on  the  2nd  of  June^  1878, 
by  Dr.  Dorrian,  The  dedication  sermon  was  preached  by 
the  Primate,  Dr.  M'Grettigan ;  the  collection  at  it  and 
at  one  preached  in  the  evening  by  Father  William  Dempsey, 
amounted  to  ,£1,326  3s.  Od.  The  following  details  taken 
from  Father  M'Erlain's  Ballymoney  and  Derrykeighan,  are 
interesting  as  showing  the  cost  of  the  church  : — 

Contract, 

Extras, 

Bonus  to  Contractor,  Mr.  James  Jordan,  Ballymoney, 

for  tinishing  the  work  satisfactorily. 
Architects  Fees, 
Clerk  of  Works, 

Gas  Pipes,  Stands  and  Brackets,     ... 
Glazing, 

Setting  Steps  at  Altars  and  Doors, ... 
Encaustic  Tiling  of  Sanctuary, 
Decorating  Sanctuary, 
Carving, 

Heating  Chamber  Apparatus, 
Parquetry  for  Predillas  of  Altars, 
Stained  Glass  in  Sanctuary, 

,,  ,,     in  west  Window, 

Bailing  for  Sanctuary  and  Chapels, 
Calvary  Groups, 
Pieta,     ... 

Statuettes  for  Altars, 
Crib  with  Groups , 
Stations  of  the  Cross, 
Bell  with  Frame, 

High  Altar,         

Side  Altars, 

Pulpit,  ... 

Statue  of  B.  V.  M.  in  front  of  Tower, 

Vestments  and  Sacristy  Furniture, 

Settling  Grounds,  .,  ... 


£ 

s. 

d. 

4736 

2 

6 

788 

0 

2 

200 

0 

0 

252 

18 

0 

268 

0 

0 

93 

0 

0 

125 

12 

4 

52 

0 

0 

71 

10 

0 

175 

0 

0 

105 

0 

0 

50 

0 

0 

8 

0 

0 

263 

17 

0 

120 

0 

0 

GL 

8 

0 

74 

0 

0 

SO 

0 

0 

28 

0 

0 

19 

0 

0 

91 

0 

0 

199 

9 

8 

,   342 

7 

9 

258 

0 

0 

90 

0 

0 

15 

0 

0 

272 

10 

0 

80 

4 

3 

£8,870  10 

i) 

148  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

The  church  was  erected  from  designs  given  by  Messrs. 
O'Neill  &,  Byrne,  Belfast.  During  the  erection  of  the 
church,  the  schools  which  Father  M'Erlain  had  erected,  at  a 
cost  of  £727  3s  6d,  were  used  as  a  temporary  church.  He 
also  erected,  from  designs  supplied  by  Rev.  Jeremiah 
M'Auley,  a  very  beautiful  parochial  residence,  which,  with 
offices  and  boundary  wall  enclosing  three  acres  of  land,  cost 
£1466  18s  Od.  The  lodge,  railing,  and  entrance  gates 
cost  £332.  The  Church  of  Our  Lady  and  St.  Patrick^ 
the  parochial  residence  and  schools  situated  as  they  are,  on 
an  eminence  overlooking  the  railway  station,  form  a  very 
striking  group  of  buildings,  the  entire  cost  of  which 
amounted  to  £11,438  12s  3d.  The  grounds  are  held  by 
several  leases,  granted  from  time  to  time  hy  successive 
Earls  of  Antrim,  at  very  moderate  rents. 

Dervock  Church.  For  a  short  time  before  the  erection  of 
the  church  of  Dervock  mass  was  celebrated  in  private  houses 
in  the  town,  but  the  landlord,  George  Macartney,  Esq., 
M.P.,  threatened  to  evict  any  of  his  tenants  who  would 
permit  mass  to  be  celebrated  in  their  houses.  Samuel  Allen,^ 
Esq.,  J. P.,  Lisconnan,  indignant  at  the  bigotry  of  Macartney, 
sent  for  Father  Denvir  and  gave  to  him  a  grant  of  the 
ground  on  which  the  church  is  now  erected,  at  a  nominal 
rent  of  1/-  a  year  for  999  years.  The  lease  was  executed  on 
the  7th  September,  1835,  a  very  short  time  before  the  deatli 
of  Mr.  Allen.  The  site  is  in  Magherodonnell  a  little  outside 
the  town  of  Dervock.  "Whilst  the  church  was  in  course  of 
erection  mass  was  celebrated  in  a  house  kindly  given  by 
Mr.  George  Allen,  then  owner  of  Liscolmau  Spinning  ]\lills 
Father  M'Cartan  erected  the  humble  church — it  was  verv 
small  and  cost  only  £80.  It  was  hij)-roofed,  had  external 
window-shutters,   and   resembled   a  schoolroom   more   than 


THE  PARISH  OF    BALLYMONEY.  149 

a  chui'ch,  but  it  was  a  great  undertaking  for  the  parish  such 
as  it  was  then.  Father  M^Cartan  in  an  appeal  to  the 
public,  says  of  his  parishioners  : — "  The  best  proof 
of  their  poverty  is  fuund.  in  the  support  which  they 
cheerfully  afford  to  their  pastor — <£50  a  year."  He  collected 
in  Liverpool  =£30  and  obtained  the  remainder  at  home  and 
elsewhere.  H.  E.  Allen  Esq.  imitating  the  generosity  of  his 
father  gave  a  handsome  subscription  and  the  use  of  a  good 
quarry.  The  Belfast  Vindicator  of  March  8th,  1846,  was 
enabled  to  announce  that  "  Father  M'Oartan  has  brought 
the  house  near  to  completion."  At  an  early  period  of  his 
incumbency,  Father  M'Erlain  obtained  from  Father  Jeremiah 
M'Auley  designs  lor  enlarging  and  almost  re-building  the 
little  church.  On  the  east  end  it  was  extended  twelve 
feet  and  a  belfry  added,  and  on  the  west  end  it  was  extended 
eight  feet,  and  a  chancel  and  sacristy  added.  A  good  school- 
house  was  erected  and  the  grounds  ornamented  and  enclosed. 
The  contractor  was  Mr.  Jordan  of  Ballymoney,  and  the 
entire  outlay  amounted  to  £702.  Dr.  Denvir,  in  November 
1860,  dedicated  the  church  under  the  invocation  of  The 
Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  Dr.  Dorrian, 
then  Coadjutor  Bishop  preached  the  dedication  sermon, 
and  the  collection  realized  =£120* 

*  Father  M'Erlain  published,  in  1881,  a  little  book  entitled  A  State- 
imnt  of  Accounts  and  a  Few  Facts  concerning  Ballymoney  and 
Derryheiglian.  from  which  it  appears  that  up  till  that  date  he  had 
collected  and  expended  £12,285  12s  3d,  of  which  £4,062  2s  4d  was 
subscribed  by  parishoners. 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLEIUINE. 


THE  parish  of  Coleraine  extends  over  the  civil  parishes 
of  Kildollagh  and  Coleraine  ;  the  part  of  the  civil 
parish  of  Ballyrashane  that  is  within  the  North-East  Liberties 
of  Coleraine  ;  and  Ballymontmore,  South  Ballyleese,  part 
of  Cappaghbeg ;  Glebe,  West  Crossreagh  and  all  the  other 
townlands  south  of  them  belonging  to  the  civil  parish  of 
Ballyrashane.  The  civil  parish  of  Kildollagh  is  within 
North-East  Liberties  of  Coleraine,  and  therefore  is  in  the 
County  of  Derry,  except  22|  acres  of  the  townland  of 
Drumaduan,  which  are  in  the  barony  of  Upper  Dunluce. 
The  site  of  the  church  of  Kildollagh  (Cill-da-loch — "  the 
church  of  the  two  loughs")  is  in  the  townland  of  Fishloughan. 
That  townland  and  the  adjoining  townland  of  Milloughan 
are  locally  called  the  Loughavs.  The  Taxation  of  Pope 
Nicholas  enters  "  The  church  of  Loghkan  is  worth,  over  and 
above  service  2  Marks."  It  it  not  entered  in  the  Terrier, 
but  the  Ulster  Visitation  Book  of  1622  enters  "Grange  de 
Killdillock,  noe  church  nor  walls  ;  the  second  part  of  all 
tithes  are  impropi-iate  to  the  Abbey  of  Woodburne  and 
possesst by  the  Earle  of  Antrym,"  The  word  Servitium  (service), 
which  occurs  in  the  entry  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas 
denotes,  that,  at  the  period  of  the  taxation,  the  church  was 
under  one  of  the  great  monasteries,  perhaps  as  at  the 
Dissolution,  that  of  Woodburne.  We  liave  no  means  of 
ascertaining  what  in  recent  times  was  the  value  of  the  great 


DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR.  151 

tithes  to  the  representative  of  the  Antrim  family,  but  in  1836 
the  smaller  tithes,belonging  to  the  benefice  of  E.asharkin,were 
compounded  for  ^£73  per  annum.  There  are  no  traces  of 
the  ancient  church  in  the  graveyard.  This  was  the  church 
called  Killsanctan  beside  which  the  English  erected  in  the 
year  1197  the  castle  of  Killsanctan.  It  is  difficult  to  say 
who  the  Sanctan  was  who  gave  name  to  Killsanctan. 
There  were  several  saints  of  the  name,  the  festival  of  one 
was  held  on  the  9th  of  May,  and  that  of  the  other  on  the 
17th  of  September.  The  Martrology  of  Donegal  treating  of 
the  former  says — "  Sanctan,  son  of  Samuel,  Bishop  of 
Cill-da-les.  Dechter,  daughter  of  Muireadhach  Muinderg, 
King  of  Uladh,  was  his  mother,  and  the  mother  of  Matoc, 
the  pilgrim."  Could  Cill-da-les  be  a  mistake  of  some  ancient 
scribe  for  Cill-da-loc  (Killdaloch .?)  ^eugus  the  Culdee 
styles  him  "  Famous  bishop  Sanctain"  and  the  commentator 
on  the  passage  in  the  Leabhar  Breac  says — "  of  Cell-da-less 
is  he,  as  Oengus  says  and  I  know  not  where  is  Cell-da-less" 
and  then  adds,  what  may  be  considered  only  a  surmise,  that 
he  is  the  patron  of  Drum  Laigille,  in  Tradry,  in  the  present 
County  of  Clare.  His  grandfather,  Muireadhach  Muinderg, 
or  of  the  Red  Neck,  King  of  Ulster  died  a.d.  479,  and  first 
cousins  of  Sanctan  were  living  one  hundred  years  afterwards. 
Sanctan,  though  the  son  of  an  Irishwoman,  seems  to  have 
been  born  in  Britain.  That  country  was  then  sufiering  from  the 
ravages  of  war  and  everywhere,  except  in  Wales  and  Corn- 
wall^ Saxon  paganism  had  trampled  down  the  British  church, 
and  many  of  those  who  sought  retirement  and  peace  came 
to  Ireland.  There  was  a  Kilhritoime  near  Ballymoney;  and 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Bann,  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
miles,  there  is  a  Bally briton.  Kilsantan  like  many  of  the 
other  churches   founded  by  early  bishops  became  in  after 


1^*'2  THE  PARISH  OF  COLEEAINE. 

times  a  grange  of  one  of  the  great  monasteries.  Father 
O'Hanlon  in  his  Lives  of  the  Irish  Saints,  Vol.  V.,  p.  137, 
CO  p.  144,  has  collected  all  that  is  known  of  St.  Sanctan. 
—The  Irish  MS.  The  "  Liber  Hymnorum "  contains  a 
hymn  in  the  Irish  language  in  which  he  is  mentioned. 

"Bishop  Sanctan  illustrous  among  the  ancients, 
Angel -soldier  of  pure,  bright  fame  ; 
My  body  is  enslaved  on  Earth, 
May  He  receive  my  soul  in  Heaven. 
Offer  a  prayer  for  me,  O  Mary  ! 
May  the  mercy  of  the  mystery  be  unto  us  ; 
Against  wounding,  against  danger,  against  suffering, 

0  Christ !  afford  us  Thy  protection.      • 

1  implore  the  noble  everlasting  King  ; 

May  the  Only-Begotten  of  God  plead  for  us  ; 

Against  sharp  torments  may 

The  Sou  who  was  born  in  Bethlehem  defend  me. " 

On  the  side  of  the  road  opposite  to  the  church  are 
the  ruins  of  an  ancient  castle  ;  they  are  on  a  high  bank 
overhanging  the  Bann,  and  thirty-five  yards  from  its 
edge.  Only  one  corner,  a  part  of  the  gable  and  sidewall 
measuring  28  feet,  remains  ;  it  is  from  6  to  7  feet  in  thick- 
ness, the  building  seems  to  have  been  about  48  feet  long 
and  38  feet  wide.  The  castle,  it  is  said  by  tradition,  was 
called  Drumowen  (the  hill  over  the  river)  castle  ;  the  hill 
is  now  called  "  Ward  Knowe."  There  was  formerly  in  the 
adjoining  field  a  cave,  which  seemed  to  pass  under  the 
castle,  but  it  was  destroyed  in  1775.  "There  is  a  faint 
trace  of  a  ditch  and  embankment  at  the  front  of  the  hill, 
and  at  the  edge  of  the  river  is  a  small  creek,  which  served 
for  a  harbour  for  boats.  Many  small  articles  of  antiquity 
have  been  found  about  the  ruins,  such  as  coins,  spear 
heads,  small  bells  of  the  modern  form   and  many  leaden 


BIOCESE   OF   CONNOR.  153 

balls." — Ordnance  Memoir  MS.  In  the  townland  of  Mill- 
loughan,  at  the  distance  of  about  140  yards  to  the  north  of 
the  Ward  Knowe,  there  is  a  round  sloping  hill,  which  has  its 
river  front  scarped  with  earthwork  fortifications,  that  must 
have  commanded  not  only  the  Bann  but  even  Drumowen 
Castle.  This  is  called  Ardveecahan  which  the  people 
translate  "  O'Kane's  hill."  Dr.  Reeves  supposes  that  this 
castle  from  its  proximity  to  the  Salmon  Leap,  the  ancient 
Eas-Craoibhe,  is  the  castle  of  Kill-Sanctan,  erected  a.d. 
1197.  The  Four  Masters  at  that  year  record  : — "  John  De 
Courcy  and  the  Ens;lish  of  Ulidia  marched,  with  an  army, 
to  Eass  CreeAa,  and  erected  the  castle  of  Kilsanctan,*  and 
wasted  and  desolated  the  territory  of  Kienaghta.  He  left 
Rotsel  Pitun,  together  with  a  large  body  of  forces  in  the 
castle,  out  of  which  they  proceeded  to  plunder  the  territories 
and  churches."  When  King  John  came  to  Carrickfergus  he 
granted  to  Alan,  Earl  of  Galloway,  all  the  lands  in  the  vicinity 
of  Coleraine,  ^'  except  20  knight's  fees,  near  the  castle  of 
Kilsantan,  viz.  : — 10  beyond  the  Bann  and  10  on  this  side 
which  we  retain  in  our  hands  for  the  guard  of  the  castle  of 
Kilsantan."  From  a  Roll  in  the  State  Paper  Office,  London, 
as  cited  in  Beeves' s  Feci.  Antiq.,  p.  324.  On  the  fall  of  the 
English  power  in  the  district  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  passed 
into  the  possession  of  the  O'Kanes.f  A  few  perches  above 
*  In  the  original  C'dle  Sanctain — "the  church  of  Sanctan  ;"  the 
Annals  of  Kilronan  call  it  CUl  Sanctail  and  in  the  old  translation  of 
the  Annals  of  Ulster  it  is  called  "the  castle  of  Killsandle."  The 
castle  is  obviously  named  from  the  church,  close  to  which  it  was 
erected  ;  and  the  name  seems  to  be  still  preserved  iu  Mount  Sandel, 
the  great  mount  nearly  two  statute  miles  lower  down  the  river. 
■*■  The  branch  of  the  O'Kanes,  which  possessed  Drumowen  Castle, 
was  called  M 'Henry.  A  slight  recollection  of  them  is  still  preserved 
among  the  traditionary  stories  of  the  place.  The  writer  was  told  by 
a  countryman  at  the  Loughans,  that  the  last  chief  who  resided  in 


154  THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAIKE. 

the  castle  the  Bana  expands  into  a  kind  of  small  lough,  in 
the  middle  of  which  is  Loughan  Island,  Oq  it  are  remains 
of  two  earthen  fortifications  but  no  traces  of  stone  walls. 
This  island  is  mentioned  at  the  year  1544,  by  the  Four 
Masters,  who  say  :  "  An  army  was  led  by  O'Donnell  into 
the  ivoute,  and  took  Inis-an-lochain  (the  island  of  the  little 
loch),  whereon  MacQuillin  had  a  wooden  castle  and  au 
impregnable  fastness.  O'Donnell  took  the  castle  and  gave 
it  up  to  O'Kane."  In  Speed's  Maj)  of  Ulster,  a.d.  1610, 
the  island  is  called  Enis  Forsed ;  it  is  so-named  from  its 
proximity  to  the  ford  Feartas  Camsa,  "  the  crossing,  or  ford 
of  Camus."  Opposite  to  the  site  of  St.  Comgall's  great 
monastery  of  Camus  the  river  takes  a  sudden  bend  to  a 
northern  fiom  a  north-westerly  course.     The  word   Camas, 

the  castle  was  Echry  MacHenry,  who,  to  prevent  his  enemies  from 
getting  his  riches,  "threw  his  plate  which  was  all  of  gold  into  a 
deep  pit  of  the  Banu,"  that  has  ever  since  been  called  "  Echry 
MacHenry's  Hole."  An  Inquisition  taken  at  Coleraiue,  March  21st, 
1635,  found  that  Randal  M'Donnell  had,  on  the  15th  of  May,  1609, 
by  deed  granted  to  "  Gaured,  otherwise  Gorry  M 'Henry  O'Cahan, 
the  lands  constituting  the  present  Grange  of  KildoUagh.  together 
with  4  quarters  in  Cnockitarny  (Knockantern),  otherwise  Bally- 
voUaghau  ;  2  quarters  of  Cloghagh,  otherwise  Maghcravelton 
(Ballyvelton)  ;  2  quarters  of  Ballyvollvanny,  otherwise  Gortuygern 
(Dundooan);  2  quarters  of  Kiltinny,  otherwise  Twerebegge,  and  2 
quarters  of  Ballylesse.  The  Inquisition  also  finds,  that  3  of  the  4 
(quarters  of  Knockantern  ;  2  quarters  of  Downdownbegg  (Dundooan); 
and  I  parts  of  Kiltinny  were  formerly  in  the  possession  of  "  the 
society  and  fraternity  of  the  town  of  Coleraine"  (the  Dominican 
Monastery.)  Gorry  M 'Henry  O'Cahan  died  August  1st,  1()27,  and 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  James  MacGorry,  who  -was  then  23  years 
of  age  and  married.— C'/s^er  Inq.  The  M'Henry  O'Kanes  held  this 
valuable  grant  at  the  annual  rent  of  5s.  It  was  forfeited  in  con- 
sequence of  the  1641  war,  Gorry  M'Henry  is  the  Echry  M'Henry 
of  the  tradition  mentioned  above,  .and  the  stream  forming  a  portion 
of  the  northern  boundary  of  the  Grange  is  still  called  Gorri/s  Flush. 


DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR.  155 

which  gives  name  to  twelve  townlands  in  Ireland  and  to 
several  places  in  Scotland,  is  said  to  be  compounded  of 
Cam-as,  "  crooked  stream."  The  ford  of  Camus  is  frequently 
mentioned  in  ancient  documents,  see  Yol.  Ill,  p.  4l9.  The 
Four  Masters  record,  that  Brian  Boru,  on  his  march  through 
Ireland  in  1005,  crossed  by  this  ford  from  the  territories  of 
the  Kinel-Owen  to  Dal-Riada.  In  consequence  of  this 
ford,  an  immense  quantity  of  war  weapons  and  other  Irish 
antiquities  were  found  during  the  progress  of  the  works  for 
the  deepening  of  the  Bann  ;  such  of  these  as  eame  into  the 
possession  of  the  officers  of  the  Board  of  Works,  were  pre- 
sented to  the  Royal  Irish  Academy. — See  Wilde's  Catal. 
A  beautiful  fibula,  or  brooch,  of  purest  gold  weighing  2  oz. 
6  dwt.  18  grs.  was  found,  November  3rd,  1855,  by  a  young 
man  while  engaged  in  digging  potatoes  in  a  field  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  river,  near  the  ford.  It  is  at  present  in 
the  Royal  Irish  Academy  ;  a  coloured  engraving,  the  exact 
size  of  the  original,  is  given  in  the  Ulster  Journal  of  Arch- 
ceology,  Vol.  IV,  p.  1,  where  it  is  named  the  Dal-Riada 
Brooch.  The  workmanship  is  very  fine,  and  presents  an 
interesting  specimen  of  the  interlaced  pattern  so  char- 
acteristic of  native  Irish  art.  There  is  a  funereal  mound  in 
Mill  Loughan,  it  is  close  to  the  road,  and  only  a  few  perches 
north-west  of  the  site  of  the  ancient  church.  It  is  remark- 
able how  many  of  our  ancient  churches  were  erected  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  funereal  mounds  ;  this  mound  occupies 
a  commanding  situation. 

"A  rath  still  remains  in  Drumaduan,  which  contains  traces  of  a 
square  building  and  the  remains  of  a  cave  44  feet  long  ;  both  the 
building  and  the  cave  were  destroyed  for  the  stones,  which  constructed 
an  adjacent  farmhouse.  On  the  north-east  of  the  rath  and  about 
140  yards  from  it  an  ancient  causeway,  which  led  to  it,  was  dis- 
covered ;  it  extended  across  a  bog  and  was  paved  with  stones,  all 


156  THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE. 

nearly  three  and  a  half  feet  long.  Traces  of  another  rath  remain 
in  Drumaduan,  and  of  a  mound  in  Coolderry  South.  There  is  an 
artificial  cave  in  Drumaduan  but  it  is  filled  with  water.  In  the 
farm  of  William  Tag^art,  in  Turnakibbock,  there  are  the  remains 
of  a  rath  which  had  a  cave  about  40  feet  long  extending  from  the 
north-east  side  to  the  centre  ;  it  was  destroyed  in  1825,  when  a 
great  many  Danes  Pipes  were  discovered  in  it. "   0 rdnance Memoir 21 S. 

The  civil  parish  of  Goleraine.  The  ancient  name  ot  the 
Cutts  was  Eas  Craeihhe  (pronounced  As  Ci'eeve) — "  the 
cataract  of  Creeve."  This  Creeve  was  a  princess,  who  was 
drowned  here  ;  she  was  the  daughter  of  Owen  MacDuirtheacht 
and  she  resided  in  the  great  fortress,  Dun  Da  Bheann,  now 
Mount  Sandel.  From  this  cataract  the  tribe,  which  dwelt 
between  it  and  the  River  Roe,  was  named  Fir  na  Craeihhe — 
"  the  men  of  Creeve,"  the  territory  in  latter  ages  belonged 
to  a  branch  of  the  family  of  O'Kane.  George  Philips,  of 
Limmevaddy,  in  his  letter  addressed  to  the  English  Parlia- 
ment in  1689  on  The  Interest  of  England  in  the  Preservation 
of  Ireland  says  of  the  fishery  of  the  Cutts. 

"lam  loath  to  pass  by  the  Salmon-Pound  (commonly  called  the 
Cutt),  near  Colraine,  because,  as  I  conceive,  such  another  thing  is 
not  in  the  world.  It  is  a  great  trough,  made  like  a  tanner's  vat, 
about  fifty  foot  long,  twenty  foot  wide,  and  six  feet  deep  ;  a  stream 
of  the  river  Bann  runs  through  it,  and  at  the  place  where  the  water 
enters,  a  row  of  stakes  are  placed  very  near  together,  like  a  rack  in 
a  stable  ;  at  the  other  end  of  the  cut  a  parcel  of  sharp  spikes  are 
clustered  together,  very  close  at  the  points  and  wide  at  the  head,  so 
that  the  salmon  (who  always  swim  against  the  stream)  and  other  fish 
may  get  in  at  pleasure,  but  can  neither  return  the  way  they  get  in, 
nor  get  out  at  the  other  end  ;  whereby  it  happens  that  on  Monday 
morning  (there  being  a  respite  of  fishing  all  Sunday  and  none  taken 
out  of  the  Cutts  with  their  loops)  a  stranger  would  be  astonished  to 
see  an  innumerable  company  of  fish  riding  on  the  backs  of  one 
another,  even  to  the  top  of  the  water,  and  with  groat  ease  and 
pleasant  divertisements  taken  up  in  loops.  All  these  prodigious 
quantities  of  fish  are  but  collected  for  the  use  of  England,  to  whose 
ports,  or  to  whose  order  they  are  yearly  consigned  and  distributed. " 


DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR.  157 

Thex-e  is  an  entry,  in  the  patent  rolls  of  Henry  IV,  of 
permission  granted  to  four  merchants  to  import  vituals  for 
the  fishers  in  the  Bann,  In  the  year  1542,  the  Lord 
Deputy  and  Council  write  to  the  King. 

"  We  had  sent  John  Travers,  master  of  your  Majesty's  ordnance  here 
with  a  company  in  aid  of  M'Greybyn  (M'Quillin),  against  a  proude 
obstjTiate  Trysheman,  called  O'Cathan,  and  assure  your  Highness, 
that  the  said  John  at  this  present  is  returned,  having  taken  as  well 
the  said  O'Cahan  his  castell  from  him,  which  standeth  upon  your 
river  of  the  Bann,  being  an  obstacle  to  your  Highness,  and  other 
your  English  subjects  to  fish  there,  as  depredats  and  brent  part  of 
the  said  O'Cathan's  lands."     State  Papers  Vol.  III. 

This  entry  refers  to  Castleroe ;  for  another  incident  in  its 
history  see  p,  23.  In  1579  one  Mathias  de  Monte,  whose 
real  name  was  Manus  O'Kane,  proposed  to  take  the  castle 
of  Castleroe  from  Turlough  O'Neill  and  bring  in  Spanish 
merchants  to  the  fishing.  He  produced  a  letter  from  the 
King  of  Spain  to  the  Governor  of  Castile,  recommending 
him,  as  having  served  in  the  Huntsman's  and  Body  Guard. 
S.  P.  0.  Feb.  and  March.  Marshal  Bagenal  wrote  a 
description  of  Ulster  in  1586,  in  which  he  says  of  Rory 
O'Cahan,  that  he  has 

"  Upon  the  Bann,  near  the  Samon  fishinge  2  castles,  th'  one  called 
the  Castle  of  Colran,  somewhat  defaced  yet  wardable,  th'  other 
Castle  Rooe,  wherein  Turloghe  O'Neyl  kepeth  a  constable  and  a 
warde,  to  receive  his  part  of  the  fishing."    Ulster  Journal  of  Archceol. 

"  The  tythe  fish  of  the  river  of  Bann  hath  been  equally  belonging 
to  the  bishopps  of  Derry  and  Connor,  and  hath  been  possessed  and 
enjoyed  by  the  parsons  and  vicars  of  both  bishopricks,  on  each  side 
of  the  Bann  respectively — the  said  Bishopps  of  Derry  in  right  of 
their  bishopricks  now  have  and  had  received  one  days  fishing  in  the 
said  river,  in  every  yeare,  upon  the  Tuesdaye  after  the  Feast  of  St. 
John  Baptiste.  The  fishe  in  the  said  river  upon  that  daye  yearly 
taken,  have  been,  or  ought  to  have  been,  equally  divided  between 
the  said  bishopps." 

Edmund,    Earl    of  March,    granted    to    the    Dominican 


158  THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE, 

Monastery  of  Coleraine  the  liberty  of  one  free  fishing  boat 
on  the  Bann  and  half  of  the  fish  caught  yearly  on  St,  John 
the  Baptist's  day  in  the  Cutts. 

James  I,  on  the  14th  of  February,  in  the  3rd  year  of  his  reign, 
granted  to  Sir  James  Hamilton,  at  the  rent  of  12s.  6d.  per  annum, 
the  fishing  of  Lough  Neagh  and  the  river  Bann  to  the 
"  Salmon  Leap  ;"  and  the  bottom  and  bed  of  Lough  Neagh  and  the 
Bann,  and  all  rights  of  ingress  and  regress  on  both  sides  of  the  lough 
and  river.  On  the  tenth  of  the  following  April  Hamilton  assigned 
the  grant  to  Sir  Arthur  Chichester,  for  whom,  and  by  whose  scheming 
he  had  taken  it  (see  p.  32. )  The  fisheries  from  the  Cutts  to  the  sea, 
as  well  as  those  on  the  Foyle,  were  granted  by  James  I,  to  the 
Corporation  of  London  ;  three  years  afterwards  the  Irish  Society  was 
offered  £1,000  per  annum  for  them,  although  at  that  time  a  large 
salmon  could  be  purchased  f rom  f ourpence  to  eightpencein  Coleraine. 
In  1691  the  fisheries  were  let  to  Lord  Massareene  at  £1,050  per 
annum.  In  1708  they  were  let  at  £1,600  per  annum.  In  1735  the 
Irish  Society  exported  the  salmon  packed  in  ice  to  Venice  and 
Leghorn  where  they  sold  for  £1,028.  In  1755  they  were  let  for  £910 
to  Henry  Hamilton  who  constructed  traps  at  the  Cuts  against  which 
the  Marquis  of  Donegall,  the  proprietor  of  the  upper  fishery,  objected, 
and  in  1771  to  compel  their  removal,  instituted  a  suit  at  law  which 
lasted  thirty  years.  Sir  G.  F.  Hill  in  1811  took  a  lease  of  these 
fisheries  at  £1,250  per  annum  which  expired  in  1847,  and  they  were 
subsequently  let  to  Messrs.  Allan  &  Gordon  for  £1,200.  In  1843 
there  were  21,660  salmon  caught  in  the  Bann,  but  in  the  following 
year  they  decreased  to  15,011,  of  which  1,545  were  sold  in  Coleraine, 
and  the  remainder  in  England.     See  Marmioii's  Ports  of  Ireland. 

The  great  earthen  fortress,  now  called  Mount  Sandel. 
was  in  ancient  times  known  by  the  name  of  Bun-dorhlieanu 
— "  the  fortress  of  the  two  peaks,  or  tops,"  so-named  because 
a  deep  trench  running  east  and  west  divides  the  fort  into 
two  earthworks.  This  fort  is  frequently  mentioned  in 
connection  with  the  exploits  of  the  Craobh  Ruadh  (pron. 
Creev-rooa),  or  Red-Branch,  a  band  of  heroes,  who  defended 
Ulster  about  the  period  of  the  birth  of  Christ.  Here  dwelt 
Niall  Niamhglonnach  ("  of  the  shining  deeds"),  grandson  of 


DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR.  159 

Radhraidh  (pron.  Rooray)  from  whom  the  Clanna  Rury 
are  named.  Niall  "  of  the  shining  deeds"  was  succeeded 
in  the  lordship  of  Dun-da-bheann  (pron.  Doon-daw-vann) , 
by  his  son  Fintan  who  makes  so  conspicuous  a  figure  in  all  the 
bardic  stories  relating  to  the  period.  It  \?as  here  that  he 
gave  to  the  heroes  of  the  Red  Branch  the  celebrated  enter- 
tainment at  which  occurred  the  Mesca  Uiad*  "  the  intoxica- 
tion of  the  TJlstermen,"  the  story  of  which  is  related  in  the 

*  The  story  of  the  Mesca  Ulad — "  The  iatoxicatioa  of  the  Ulster- 
men."  All  Ulster  was  ruled  by  three  kings.  Conor  who  resided 
at  Eman  Macha  (Eraania,  now  Navan  Ring,  near  Armagh);  CuchuUen, 
who  resided  at  Dun  Delga  (Dundalk)  ;  and  Fintan  who  resided  at 
Dun-da-bheam.  The  two  joint  rulers  were  persuaded  to  give  up 
each  his  third  of  the  rule  for  one  year  so  that  Conor  becomes  high 
King  of  Ulster.  CuchuUen  and  Fintan  took  it  into  their  heads, 
both  on  the  same  day,  to  give  a  great  feast  and  invite  the  King. 
So  they  yoked  their  chariots  and  drove  to  Eman  Mecha.  CuchuUen 
arrived  first,  but  had  not  finished  unyoking  his  horses,  when  Fintan 
came  up  and  got  into  Emania  before  him.  Each  resolved  that  his 
invitation  should  be  accepted,  and  their  words  soon  became  wrathful. 
Sencha,  chief  judge  and  poet,  who  on  a  previous  occasion  had  "  shaken 
the  tree  of  peace  over  them,  did  not  dare  now  to  rise  between  them." 
Conor  saw  no  other  way  of  warding  off  the  approaching  storm  but  by 
an  appeal  to  CuchuUen  through  the  tears  of  the  young  Furbaide. 
The  momentary  lull  was  taken  advantage  by  Sencha  :  "  I  could  give 
you  an  excellent  counsel,  if  I  might  dare  to  say  it  ;  that  you  should 
spend  the  first  half  of  the  night  with  Fintan,  and  the  latter  half  with 
CuchuUen."  This  was  at  once  approved  of,  and  messengers  were 
despatched  to  invite  all  the  nobles  of  Ulster  to  feast  with  Fintan. 
So  aU  assembed  at  Dun-da-bheam,  each  man  bringing  his  wife,  every 
lord  with  his  lady,  and  every  king  with  his  queen  ;  and  thus  they  ate^ 
and  drank  and  made  merrjj-  some  time  about  the  year  I.  in  the  fair 
boarded  palace  that  rose  majestic  over  the  Bann.  In  due  time  they 
prepared  for  their  further  expedition  to  feast  with  CuchuUen,  but 
through  the  potent  effects  of  Fintan's  "old  Coleraine"  they  lost 
their  way  and  wandered  off  into  the  wilds  of  Kerry  !  King  Conor 
perceived  that  they  were  on  strange  ground  ;  "  we  did  not  find  this 
between  Dun-da-bheann  and  Dun-Delga,"  to  which    Bricrinn,   "of 


160  THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE. 

Book  of  Leinster,  a  MS.  that  was  written  before  the  English 
invasion,  and  is  filled  with  historical  romances  considered 
even  then  to  be  ancient.  An  other  story,  the  Tain-ho- 
Gualgne,  "  the  cattle-plunder  of  Cooley"  which  is  also  con- 
tained in  the  Book  of  Leinster,  represents  a  son  of  Fintan 
of  Dun-da-bheann,  Cethern,  who  gave  name  to  Dun- 
Ceithern,  now  called  *'  the  Giant's  Sconce,"  in  the  parish  of 
Dunboe.  as  hastening  from  Dun-da-bheann  to  come  to  the 
aid  of  Cuchullen. 

The  following  description  of  the  mound  is  given  in  the 
Ordnance  Memoir  US.  written  in  1835  by  J.  Blakely  : — 

"Mount  Sandell  fort  is  of  an  oval  shape,  and  measures  175  feet, 
north  and  south,  by  140  feet  east  and  west,  with  a  trench  in  the 
centre,  which  runs  east  and  west,  and  is  about  17  feet  from  the 
bottom  to  the  top  of  the  ford.  There  are  two  "Giant's  Graves," 
one  near  the  west  side  and  the  other  near  the  south  side  of  the  fort, 
each  25  feet  by  16  feet.  The  fort  is  from  the  planting  at  the  west 
side  to  the  top  about  40  feet  high,  and  30  feet  high  from  the  bottom 
of  the  trench  to  the  top  of  the  fort  at  the  east  side,  and  40  feet  high 
at  the  north  side.  The  south  side  is  grown  over  with  blackthorn. 
The  parapet  is  almost  level  with  the  top  of  the  fort.  There  are  two 
excellent  springs,  about  150  perches  north  of  the  fort,  in  a  wood." 

The  Antrim  Inquisition  of  1605  finds  Killscmtill,  alias 
Mount  Sandall,  among  the  lands  of  the  Dominican  priory 
of  Coleraine, 

The  earliest  notice  we  have  of  Coleraine  is  in  connexion 
with  the  missionary  visit  of  St,  Patrick.  The  Tripartite 
Life  of  St.  Patrick  relates,  that  when  the  saint  arrived  in 
Dal-Araidhe,  he  found  the  territory  parcelled  out  among  the 

the  evil  tongue,"  replied  with  an  oath,  "  it  appears  to  me  we  are  not 
in  the  province  of  Ulster  at  all."  The  story,  which  is  not  restrained 
to  probability  or  possibilit}',  tells  how  the  Ultonians  on  that  expedi- 
tion burned  the  palace  of  Teamhair  Luachra  in  Kerry,  and  is  filled 
with  curious  notices  of  topograpliy  and  descriptions  of  social  manners. 
See  Book  of  Leinster,  jmUiftfied  hij  R.  I.  Academy. 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  161 

twelve  sons  of  Caelbadh^  a  prince  who  had  been  King  of 
Uladh,  or  Ulidia,  and  of  Ireland  for  one  year,  and  was  slain 
in  the  year  357.  Of  the  twelve  sons  three  are  mentioned 
in  the  Life — Saran,  Connla,  and  Nadsluagh. 

Saran's  brother  Xadsluagh,  was  submissive  to  Patrick  ;  and  he 
was  in  captivity  on  Patrick's  arrival.  "  You  shall  have  from  me," 
said  he  "the  site  of  your  regies  (monastery)."  "Where  shall  j^ou 
give  it  me?"  asked  Patrick.  "On  the  brink  of  the  Bann,  in  the 
west,"  said  Nadsluagh,  "where  the  boys  are  burning  the  ratlLa 
(ferns)."  "It  shall  be  mine  truly,"  said  Patrick,  "a  descendant  of 
mine  and  thine  shall  be  there,"  that  is  Bishop  Coirpre,  son  of 
Deggel,  son  of  Nadslaugh  ;  it  is  he  that  is  in  Cul-rathain  on  the 
eastern  brink  of  the  Bann.  Bishop  Brugach,  who  is  in  Rath-Maighe- 
Aenaighe  (Eaymochy),  in  Crich-Conaill  (Co.  Donegal),  it  was  that 
conferred  orders  on  Bishop  Coirpre.  Patrick  also  it  was  that  con- 
ferred orders  on  Bishop  Brugach  ;  so  that  he  (Bishop  Coirpre)  is  a 
descendant  of  Patrick  in  this  wise."  —  Tripartite  Life  transiated  by 
W.  M.  Hennessy,  Esq.,  M.R.I. A. 

Saran  succeeded  his  father  as  King  of  Ulidia  and  was 
ancestor  of  the  MacArtins  of  Kinalarty.  Connla  was 
ancestor  of  Magennis  of  Iveagh.  It  would  seem  therefore 
that  Dalaradia  was  more  extensive  at  the  period  of  St. 
Patrick's  visit  than  in  after  times.  Dal-Riada  seems  at 
that  pei-iod  to  have  been  bounded  by  the  river  Bush  and  a 
line  drawn  from  its  source  eastward  to  the  sea. 

Coleraine  in  Irish  Cuil  rathain  (pronounced  Cooil-rawin) 
takes  its  name,  as  O'Brien  in  his  dictionary  explains,  from 
the  words  Cuil  rathan — '  ferney  corner.'  The  Life  of  St. 
Patrick,  by  Tirecban,  in  the  Book  of  Armagh  states — 

"  et  perrexit  trans  flumen  bandse  et  benedixit  locum  in  quo  est 
cellola  Cuile  Eaithin  in  Eilniu,  in  quo  fuit  episcopus,  et  fecit  alias 
cellas  multas  in  Eilniu.  Et  per  Buas  fluvium  foramen  pertulit 
.  .  .  Et  re  versus  est  in  campum  Elni,  et  fecit  multas  aeclessias 
quas  Coindiri  habent."  Documenta  ex  Lihr.  Armach,  Edidit  in 
Analect.  Bollandian.  R.P.  Edmund  Hoc/an,  S.J. 

L 


162  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

"  And  he  proceeded  across  the  river  Bann,  and  he  blessed  the 
place  in  which  is  the  little  cell  of  Cuile  Raithin  in  Eilniu,  in  which 
there  was  a  bishop,  and  he  made  many  other  cells  in  Eilniu,  and  he 
made  a  passage  through  the  river  Bush  .  .  .  And  he  returned 
into  the  plain  Elni,  and  he  built  many  churches,  which  the  Coindire 
(the  bishops  of  Connor?)  possess." 

It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  the  country  between  the 
Bann  and  the  Bush  was  named  '  The  Plain  of  Elniu',  called 
also  Magh-Elne,  and  that  the  Church  of  Coleraine  in  the 
time  of  St.  Patrick  was  unimportant,  if  it  existed  at  all 
before  the  time  of  Bishop  Coirpre,  or  Carbreus,  who,  as  Dr. 
Reeves,  on  good  authority,  supposes,  flourished  about  the 
year  640,  and  died  about  560.  His  festival  was  celebrated 
on  the  11th  of  November.  The  entry  in  the  Calendar  of 
Donegal  is  "  Coirpre,  Bishop  of  Cuil-Raithin,  son  of  Decill, 
son  of  Nadsluagh,  of  the  race  of  Trial,  son  of  Conal  Cearnach," 
and  the  note  given  in  the  Leahhar  Breac  to  the  entry  in  the 
Calendar  of  Aengus  says — "  In  the  north  of  Dalaiadia  is 
Cul  Raithin."  After  St.  Carbreus  we  have  mention  of 
another  Bishop  of  Coleraine,  Conallus,  who  entertained  St. 
Columbkille  after  the  Synod  of  Dromcheatt,  in  the  year 
590.      Of  this  entertainment  St.  Adamnan  writes — 

About  the  same  time  Connallus,  Bishop  of  Cuil.  Raithin  collected 
almost  countless  presents  from  the  people  in  the  neighbouring  dis- 
tricts of  Mag-elne  to  give  a  banquet  to  the  saint,  and  the  vast 
multitude  that  accompanied  him  on  his  return  from  the  meeting  of 
the  kings  mentioned  above.  These  presents  were  laid  out  in  the  lawn 
of  the  monastery,  that  the  holy  man  might  bless  them  on  his  arrival, 
and  as  he  was  giving  the  blessing  he  pointed  out  particularly  one 
present,  the  gift  of  a  very  wealthy  man— "The  blessing  of  God," 
said  he,  "  attends  the  man  who  gave  this,  for  his  charity  to  the 
poor  and  his  munificence  ;"  and  then  turning  to  another  he  said — 
"Of  this  Wise  Man's  offering  I  cannot  partake  until  he  repents 
sincerely  of  his  sins."  Now  this  saying  was  quickly  circulated 
among  the  crowd,  and  it  soon  reached  Columbus,  sou  Acdh,  whose 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE,  163 

conscience  reproached  him  ;  and  he  ran  immediately  to  the  saint, 
and  on  a  bended  knees  confessed  his  guilt,  promising  to  forsake  his 
former  habits,  to  be  generous  and  charitable  ever  after.  The  saint 
bade  him  arise  ;  and  from  that  moment  he  never  felt  the  same  passion 
for  acquiring  riches  for  he  was  truly  a  wise  man,  as  was  revealed  to 
the  saint  through  the  present.  The  rich  man  Brendenus,  hearing 
the  words  of  the  saint  regarding  himself,  knelt  down  at  his  feet  and 
asked  his  prayers.  Now,  though  he  was  generous  towards  the  poor, 
he  had  been  guilty  of  other  sins  for  which  the  saint  reproved  him, 
and  for  which  he  expressed  his  heartfelt  sorrow  and  purpose  of 
amendment. — Adamnans'  Life  of  St.  Columha  translated  by  Eev.  M. 
Kelly. 

There  can  be  little  doubt,  that  the  monastery,  at  which  St. 
Golixmbkille  was  entertained,  occupied  the  site  of  the 
Protestant  church ;  a  later  monastery  stood  on  the  south 
side  of  Bridge  Street,  but  it  was  erected  in  the  13th  century 
by  the  Dominicans.  The  saint  on  that  occasion  embarked 
at  Coleraine  for  lona.  In  Coleraine  he  stood  for  the  last 
time  on  the  soil  of  his  native  land,  that  he  loved  so  well. 
The  belief  was  current  among  the  Irish  at  a  very  early 
period,  that  he  withdrew  at  first  to  lona  in  consequence  of 
a  penance  imposed  by  St.  Molaise,  because  he  had,  when 
a  young  man,  fostered  domestic  feuds  that  resulted  in 
sanguinary  engagements.  One  of  these  was  the  battle  of 
Coleraine  fought  by  the  Hy  Nialls  against  the  Dalaradians, 
who  had  espoused  the  cause  of  St.  Comgall  in  the  matter  ot 
some  ecclesiastical  dispute  arising  probably  about  the  rights 
of  the  monastery  of  Camus,  the  lands  of  which  extended 
into  the  territory,  that  was  debateable  ground  between  the 
two  races. 

Carbreus  and  Conallus  are  the  only  bishops  of  Coleraine, 
whose  names  are  Dientioned  in  history,  but  the  monastery 
which  they  ruled  continued  to  be  governed  by  abbots,  the 
deaths  of  some  of  whom  are  recorded  by  the  Four  Masters. 


164  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

A.D.  930,  "  Airmhedliach,  abbot  of  Cuil-rathain  was 
slain  by  the  Danes." 

A.D.  972,  "  Roithechtach,  airchinneach  of  Cuil-raitMn, 
anchorite  and  wise  man"  died. 

A.D.  988,  "  MacLeighinn  Ua  Murchadhain,  airchinneach 
of  Cuil-raithin  died," 

A.D.  1110,  "  Cearnach,  son  of  MacUlcha,  airchinneach 
of  Cuil-raithin,  died  in  penance." 

A.D.  1122,  "  Annadh,  son  of  MacUlcha,  airchinneach  of 
Cuil-raithin"  died. 

If  the  monastical  buildings  attached  to  the  church  of 
Coleraine  survived  the  invasion  of  the  Danes,  it  is  probable, 
that  they  were  demolished  in  1213,  when  Thomas  de 
Galloway,  to  build  the  castle,  pulled  down  all  the  buildings 
of  the  town  sparing  only  the  church.  On  the  cessation  of 
bishops  in  the  church  of  Coleraine,  it  is  remarkable,  that  its 
lands  became  the  property  not  of  the  see  of  Connor,  but  of 
that  of  Armagh.  Hugh  de  Lacy,  Earl  of  Ulster,  obtained 
the  see  lands  of  Coleraine  from  Albert  de  Cologn,  who  was 
primate  from  1240  to  1247,  by  giving  in  excliftnge  for  these 
the  lands  of  Machrigallin  and  the  Manor  of  Nobbir,  This 
exchange  was  ratified  in  1301  by  Primate  Nicholas 
MacMolissa  (Harris'  Ware  I,  p.  66,  in  Reeves  Eccl.  Antiq. 
p.  248),  by  the  following  document  : — 

Omnibus  Christi  fidelibus,  &c.,  Nicholaus  miseratione  divina 
Archiepiscopus  Ardinachanus,  Dionisius  decanus  ecclesia?  sancti 
Patricii  de  Ardmagh,  et  Capitulus  ejusdem  loci,  salutem  in  Domino 
eternam.  Notum  vobis  facimus  per  presentes  quod  uos  nicliil  juris 
vel  clamii  habemus  vel  habere  clamamas  in  tenemento  de  Coulratli 
in  Touscard  nee  aliqui  predecessorum  nostrorum  ejus  ecclcsiiT;  unquam 
aliquid  clamaverunt  in  eisdera  tenemcntis  a  tempore  quo  Hugo 
de  Lacj'  quondam  Comes  Ultonire  dedit  A11)erto  Archiepiscopo- 
Ardmachano  prcdecessori   nostro   manerium  de  Ic  NoUier  in  com- 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  165 

pensatione  pro  prcedictis  tenementis,  nee  licet  nec  licebit  alicui 
successorum  nostrorum  aliquid  juris  vel  claniii  in  eisdem  tenemeatis 
de  Coulratli  in  Touscard  de  cetero  exigere  vel  vindicare,  &c.  Datum 
apud  Drummeskyn  XV.  die  Jul.  a.d.  MCCCo.  ^\imo."—( Rot.  Plac. 
29  Ed.  I,  TO.  26,  Tur.  Berm.  Dub.) 

The  right  of  presentation  to  the  rectory  also  belonged  to 
the  Earls  of  Ulster.  "  Ecclesia  de  Coulrath"  is  valued  in 
the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  at  £11  5s.  4d.  In  1337, 
the  King,  in  the  minority  of  the  Countess  of  Ulster,  pre- 
sented William  Wooley  to  the  church  of  St.  Patrick  of 
Coulrath.— Ca^.  Cane.  Hih.  Vol.  I.  In  1351,  Richard 
Fitzralph,  the  primate,  preached  a  sermon  to  the  people  in 
English,  at  Coulrath.— CaZ.  Clarend.,Yo\.  XLYI.,  fol.  101, 
see  Reeves'  Ecd.  Antlq.  p.  75.  The  entry  in  the  Terrier  is 
"  St.  Patrick's  Church  at  Coleraine.  It  hath  5  acres  of 
glebe — Sir  Randal  hath  it — it  pays  Proxies,  10s  ;  Refections, 
10s  ;  Synodal s,  2s."  The  ancient  church  was  fitted  up  by 
the  Londoners  for  Protestant  service.  The  Report  of  1611 
states  "The  Church  of  Coleraine  in  repayring  ...  A 
roofe  for  the  church  of  78  longe,  29  foote  wyde,  in  hand 
and  ready  to  be  put  up." 

St.  Mary's  Dominican  Monastery  of  Coleraine  was  erected 
in  the  year  1244,  Ware  gives  1 274  as  the  date  of  its  erection, 
but  De  Burgo  following  the  ancient  catalogues  of  the 
Dominican  foundations  assigns  1244  as  the  date  of  its 
erection.  Authors  have  ascribed  the  foundation  to  O'Kane, 
and  others  to  O'Donnell,  but  De  Burgo,  following  traditions 
collected  by  Father  O'Heyne  from  Fathers  Michael 
MacQuillin  and  Peter  Moylan  of  Coleraine  in  his  Hpilogus 
Cronologicus  published  in  Louvain  a.d.  1706,  ascribes  the 
foundation  to  MacQuillin,  the  lord  of  the  Route.  There  can 
however  be  no  doubt,  that  there  was  not  a  MacQuillin  in 


166  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Ulster  at  the  time,  and  that  the  real  founder  was  Walter 
de  Biugo,  who  married  Maude  de  Lacy  and  became  in  her 
right  Earl  of  Ulster.  Edmund,  Earl  of  March  and  Ulster, 
by  letters  bearing  date  June  10th,  a.d.  1381,  "  for  the  good 
of  the  soul  of  his  late  countess  of  the  souls  of  his  ancestors 
and  successors,"  granted  to  the  Prior  and  Convent  of 
Preachers  (Dominicans)  of  Coleraine  freedom  of  grinding 
their  corn  in  his  mills  of  Coleraine.  He  also  granted  to 
them  "  the  liberty  of  one  free  fishing  boat  in  the  Bann  and 
half  of  all  the  fish  caught  yearly,  on  St.  John  the  Baptist's 
Day,  in  a  certain  torrent  called  Lyn  (the  cutts)  near  the  said 
town."  In  1284  the  monastery  was  "  reformed,"  that  is  to 
say,  its  rules  were  remodelled  by  the  Dominicans.  At  the 
dissolution  the  priox%  Shane  O'Boyle,  was  seized  of  the  lands 
of  "Ballitras,  Ballynefaigh,  Attware,  Ardbeggan,  Dunaville, 
and  Ballyosallye,"  which  would  seem  to  include  the  most  of 
the  parish  of  Coleraine ;  the  rectory  of  Kilmoyle  or  Tullagh- 
gore  was  also  impropriate  to  the  priory.  Whether  the 
Dominicans  abandoned  their  convent  or  not,  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  VIII.  they  seem  to  have  been  in  possession  of  it 
in  the  reign  of  Mary.  In  that  reign  the  Lord-Deputy,  the 
Earl  of  Sussex  in  1556  arrived  at  Coleraine. 

Tuesday,  ye  fourteenth  of  July,  my  lord-deputy  removed  from 
Drommore  (see  p.  62)  and  came  to  ye  Banne,  where  at  our  comeing 
one  of  our  boats  from  our  ships  which  were  at  ye  haven  mouth  mett 
with  us  and  there  wee  camped  at  ye  river  side,  and  by  a  hill  called 
Knock  Sendall  ;  and  by  a  monastery  uppon  ye  same  river  called 
CoUrahane,  and  beneath  it  by  ye  hill  of  Knock  Sendall  there  is  a 
castle  called  Knock  Caslan  Loughan  appertaining  some  tymes  to 
one  James  M 'Henry  in  M'GuUens  (M'Quillins)  country  within  ye 
country  of  ye  Hoot  ;  allso  this  night  came  into  my  lord  deputye 
O'Cahain.  And  in  ye  monastery  of  Coolrahain  is  buiied  ye  ancestors 
of  M'Guillin  on  ye  left  of  ye  alter,  and  ouye  tombe  lyeth  ye  picture 
of  Knight  armed  ;  also  this  day  was  one  horseman  drowned  ia  ye 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  167 

river  of  ye  Banna,  one  of  ye  Plunkets ;  and  this  night  came  in  ye 
messenger  of  Talloche  (recte  Calvagh)  O'Donnell  and  was  dispatched 

this  same  night Thursday,  ye  sixteenth  of  July,  my 

Ld.  Deputy  removed  from  Knock  Sendall. 

After  this  follows  an  account  of  tlie  Lord  Deputy's  pro- 
gress towards  south  of  the  present  County  of  Derry. 

Sunday,  ye  XlXth  of  July,  my  Lord  Deputy  removed  from 
Maghere  Rahe  (Maghera)  to  Collrahain  by  ye  river  of  ye  Banne,  and 
monastery  of  CoUrahain  and  there  camped  yt.  night  and  Munday 
all  daj'',  and  on  Munday  night  came  in  CoUoghe  M'Connell  (Coll 
MacDonnell)  his  sone,  a  little  child  which  was  kept  with  O'Kanne  ; 
and  yt.  day  was  like  to  have  been  a  great  ffray  betwixt  ye  Earle  of 
Urmond  Galloglass,  Mr.  Marshall's  men,  and  some  of  my  Ld. 
Deputye's  servants,  but  my  Ld.  Deputye  with  ye  rest  of  ye.  council 
pacyfyed  ye  matter  for  yt.  time  and  at  night  was  taken  a  great  prey 
by  ye  Barron  of  Dungaunon*  and  others.  Tuesday,  XXIth  of  July, 
my  Ld.  Deputy  removed  from  Collrahin  and  came  to  My-Avre 
(Muyaver  in  Armoy.) 

The  circumstances  of  the  times  soon  required  the 
Dominicans  to  abandon  their  monastery;  nevertheless  they 
clung  to  its  ancient  traditions  and  nestled  in  some  unpre- 
tending spot  in  its  vicinity — their  locus  refugii,  probably 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Bann,  this  they  dignified  with  the 
title  of  Gonventus  Colranensis,  until  happier  times  would 
enable  thsm  to  repossess  themselves  of  their  monastery. 
In  1564  Shane  O'Neill  (see  p.  19),  writes  to  the  Govern- 
ment, that  not  having  sufficient  boats  to  cross  the  Bann, 
which  is  swollen,  he  is  rebuilding  the  castle  of  Culrath,  and 
sending  over  a  detatchment  in  cots  and  corricles,  by  two  or 
three  at  a  time,  to  occupy  Culrath  friary.  Dean  Danyell 
probably  O'Donnelly,  a  wily  unscrupulous  churchman,  who 
expected     a    bishoprick   from    the    Queen,   or    would   have 

*  This  was  Ferdoragh,  or  Matthew  O'Neill,  created  Baron  ot  Dungannon  in  1542, 
and  slain  at  the  instance  ot  his  half  brother,  John  the  Proud,  ia  155S  ;  he  was  the 
father  of  Hugh,  Earl  of  Tyrone. 


1G8 


DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 


taken  it  from  the  Pope,  writes  that  the  Scots  having 
attacked,  like  madmen  the  friary  that  was  warded 
by  O'Neill's  men,  have  had  ninety  killed  and  wounded  ;  and 
that  they  show  a  force  of  six  or  seven  hundred  men.  The 
friary,  from  a  house  of  prayer,  had  now  been  made  a  den  of 
robbers ;  and  it  became  the  stronghold  of  every  military 
adventurer,  until  eventually  it  was  granted  to  Sir  James 
Hamilton,  who  possessed  himself  of  nearly  all  the  abbey 
lands  in  Down  and  Antrim.  On  the  23rd  of  September, 
1604,  Hamilton  conveyed  the  priory  of  Coleraine  and  its 
possessions  to  Sir  Thomas  Philips.  The  flight  of  the  Earls 
O'Neill  and  O'Donnell  occurred  on  the  14th  of  September, 
1607,  and  on  the  22nd  Sir  Thomas  writes  to  Salisbury  one 
of  his  usual  disinterested  letters — "  The  lands  of  Tyrone 
and  Tyrconnell  falling  into  his  Majesty's  hands,  if  towns  be 
planted  in  convenient  places,  they  may  keep  the  country  in 
awe.  He  bought  the  abbey  of  Coleraine,  and  employed  all 
he  had  in  the  world  upon  it.  The  land  belonging  to  it  is 
but  four  towns,  and  most  part  scattered  abroad  some  five 
miles  distance,  but  if  he  bad  a  good  scope  of  land  of  the 
Earls  of  Tyrones  next  adjoining,  he  should  have  in  short 
time  a  company  of  honest  Englishmen  to  serve  his  Majesty 
on  all  occasions.  In  times  past  when  it  (Coleraine)  was  a 
Corporation,  it  yielded  his  Majesty  £35  yearly.  It  was  a 
strong  town  in  those  days,  and  may  be  made  so  now,  which 
he  will  undertake  with  no  charge  to  the  King,  if  he  only 
be  pleased  to  bestow  on  him  a  competent  quantity  of  land 
for  the  performance  of  it.  He  has  already  bestowed  all  he 
could  get  in  building  and  made  himself  a  poor  man." — 
RusselVs  and  Prendergasts  Calendar  of  State  Papers.  Second 
Series. 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  169 

When   Coleraine  and  the  lands  adjoining  it  had  passed 
into  the  possession  of  the  London  Companies,  they  had  a 
map  executed  in  the  year  1611,  which  shows  the  progress 
of  the  works  then  in  progress.     This  map  entitled  The  Plat 
of  Coleraine  is  preserved  in  the  Manuscript  Room   of  the 
Library  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin:      It  gives  a  birds-eye 
view  of  the  "  Old  abbey,"  or  more  correctly  the  Dominican 
convent  or  monastery,  as  it  was  in  1 6 1 1 .    It  stood  on  the  south 
side  of  the  present  Bridge  Street ;  its  western  gable,  which 
faced  the  Bann,  stood  about  the  line  of  houses  in  Hanover 
Place.     The  principal  entrance  was  by  a  large  doorway  in 
that  gable.     The  church  seemed   to  stand  about  25  or  30 
feet  from  the  frontage  line  of  houses  in  Bridge  Street.     It 
consisted  of  a  nave,  80  or  90  feet  long,  a  chancel  and  two 
transepts,  the  gable  of  the  northern  transept  extended  to 
the  frontage   line  of  the   houses   in    Bridge    Street.      The 
church  formed  the  north  side  of  a  cloister ;  the  western  side 
of  the  cloister  extending  along  the  pi-esent  Hanover  Place 
was  two  storeys  high,  and  had  also   dormer  windows,  the 
eastern  side  of  the  cloister,  which  was  in  a  continuation  with 
the  line  of  the  southern  transept  ;    was  one  storey  and  had 
dormer  windows  \  the  southern  gables  of  these  cloister  sides 
were  connected  by  a  high  wall,*  which  being  parallel  to  the 
church,  formed  a  complete  square,  or  cloister,  enclosing  a 
garth.     The  high  wall  on  the  south  side  was  pierced  with 
an  archway,  which   connected   the  interior   square  with  a 
large  yard,  perhaps  a  garden,  that  extended  nearly  to  ferry 
Quay  Street.     The  entrance  to  that  yard  was  from  Hanover 
Place.     The  western  and  eastern  sides  of  the  quadrangle 

*  Until  about  forty  years  ago,  a  passage  extending  from  the 
Shambles  to  Hanover  Place,  through  an  archway  in  that  street, 
represented  the  line  of  the  wall. 


170  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

contained,  no  doubt,  the  dormitories,  refectory,  and  other 
apartments  necessary  for  the  monastery.  There  is  a  birds- 
eye  view  of  all  these  buildings  given  on  the  map  ;  it  may 
be,  however,  that  some  of  the  buildings  shown  on  the  map 
were  erected  by  the  Londoners,  though  no  doubt  they  would 
have  made  use  of  the  monastic  walls,  which  they  found 
ready  to  their  hand.     The  Report  says — 

A  faire  house  adjoyininge  to  the  Abbie  of  72  foote  long,  27  foote 
wyde,  2  sfcoriea  high,  one  storie  on  the  foreside  of  tymber,  with 
three  faire  cant  wyndowes  and  double  dormers,  with  faire  windowes, 
two  floures,  two  payre  of  stayres  and  partitions  with  a  seller  through 
the  house  fynished.  Another  house  neere  unto  the  former  48  foote 
longe  and  14  foote  wide,  a  storie  and  a  half  high,  tatched  and 
finished. 

This  is  the  description  of  the  buildings  on  the  west  and 
east  sides  of  cloister.  From  a  point  in  the  line  of  houses  in 
Bridge  Street,  at  about  two  thirds  of  the  length  of  the 
street  from  the  corner  of  Hanover  Place,  there  was  a  wall 
extending  to  Ferry-quay  Street.  The  space  between  that 
wall  and  the  east  end  of  the  church,  and  the  east  sidewall 
of  the  cloister  is  marked  "  The  Abbey  Garden."  Here 
probably  was  the  cemetery,  for  human  bones  have  been 
found  in  the  Shambles.  The  space  between  that  wall  and 
the  present  Meeting-house  Street  was  used  by  the  Londoners 
in  1611,  and  marked  on  their  map,  as  "A  house  for  a 
smith  to  dwell  and  to  work  in." 

Among  the  few  things  which  the  Dominican  fathers 
carried  with  them,  to  whatever  obscure  place  in  the  vicinity 
they  fled,  was  a  wooden  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary, 
the  fate  of  which  is  thus  told  in  O'SuUevan  Beare's  JTistorice 
Cathul.  Ibernice  Compenduim,  and  in  Porter's  Compendium 
Annul  Eccl.  Eibern.,  on  the  authority  of  Father  Richard 
Con  very,  S.J. 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  171 

"There  was  in  Coleraine  aa  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  Mother 
of  God,  which  Brutus  Babington,*  an  Englishman,  and  Protestant 
Bishop  of  Derry,  impiously  desiring  to  burn,  ordered  two  of  his 
satellites  to  carry  to  the  fire.  The  impious  wretches  had  scarcely 
laid  their  wicked  hands  on  the  sacred  image,  when  they  suddenly 
fell  dead.  It  was  then  carried  by  others  equally  rash,  and  placed  on 
a  burning  pile  in  the  middle  of  the  market-place,  but  it  was  found 
uninjured  when  the  fire  had  burned  out.  They  then  covered  it 
with  tar,  bored  into  it  holes,  which  they  filled  with  gun-powder,  and 
placed  it  on  a  new  fire,  nevertheless  it  received  no  damage.  The 
Protestant  Bishop,  frightened  thereat,  was  seized  of  a  sickness,  whereof 
he  died,  but  the  image  was  restored,  by  the  power  of  God,  to  its  former 
position.  This  is  said  to  have  occurred  in  the  month  of  September, 
A.D.  1611."     De  Burgo.  Hib.  Dominic. 

Though  exiled  from  their  ancient  monastery,  the 
Dominicans  were  jealous  in  preserving  all  the  rights  of 
their  convent,  and,  at  what  was  styled  a  Most  General 
Chapter  of  the  Order,  held  in  Rome,  A.D.  1644,  the  convent 
of  Coleraine  was  constituted  a  University,  or  Studium 
Generate  for  the  Dominicans.  Among  those  of  this  convent, 
who  suffered  for  the  faith,  or  were  distinguished  for  their 
virtues,  De  Burgo  mentions — 

E,ev.  Father,  Brother  James  John  O'Flaverly.f  thrown 
into  the  river  and  stoned  to  death,  about  the  year  1656. 

Rev.  Father,  Brother  James  O'Reilly  beaten  to  death, 
abou.t  the  year  1656. 

Rev.  Father,  Brother  Clement  O'Bern,  died  about  1680. 

Rev.  Father,  Brother  Patrick  O'Dirah,  died  about  1680. 

Rev.  Father,  Brother  Eugene  O'Coigly^  died  about  1680. 

Rev,  Father,  Brother  Thomas  M'Mahon,  died  1681. 

Rev.  Father,  Brother  James  O'Croly,  died  about  1681. 

Rev.  Father,  Brother  Patrick  O'Hegarty,  died  at  Malcou, 
1704. 

*  Babington  was  appointed  in  1610  and  died  in  1611. 

+  O'Flaverly  seems  to  have  been  a  printers'  mistake  for  O'Flaverty 
or  O'Laverty  ;  O'Flaverly  does  not  occur  among  the  Irish  surnames. 


172  DIOCESE    OP   CONNOR. 

Primate  Olivei'  Plunket,  in  his  Relatio  on  the  state  of  the 
diocese  of  Down  and  Connor  made  to  Rome,  November 
1st,  1670,  says  of  the  above-mentioned  Father  Clement 
O'Bern,  who  was  then  attached  to  the  Dominican  convent 
of  Down,  that  "  he  is  a  good  preacher,  and  produces  much 
fruit."  In  this  Relatio  the  Primate  says  "  The  Dominicans 
have  a  convent  in  Cuh'ahan,  in  which  there  are  only  four 
friars,  and  of  these  only  two  are  priests,  one  of  whom, 
James  Crolly  is  a  good  preacher." 

Father  Peter  MacQuillin,  an  alumnus  of  this  convent, 
published,  a.d.  1710,  in  12mo.,  Disseriatlo  de  Bolore  Super- 
naturali  in  Sacramento  Pcenitentice  requisito.  He  died  in 
Paris,  in  1719. 

Father  Dominick  O'Brullaughan  S.  Theol.  Mag.,  an 
alwnnus  of  Coleraine,  published  The  Pilgrimage  of  Lough- 
Derg,  which  was  printed  in  Belfast,  in  1726.  He  died  in 
the  County  of  Derry,  in  1746. 

Father  Michael  MacDonagh,  an  alumnus  of  Coleraine,  was 
consecrated  Bishop  of  Kilmore,  in  1728.     He  died  in  174G. 

Father  Patrick  Brullaiighan  (now  Bradley)  an  alumnus 
of  Coleraine,  was  consecrated,  March  3rd,  1751,  Bishop  of 
Derry.     He  died  in  1759, 

A.D.  1738.  The  Dominicans  of  Coleraine  forwarded  a 
petition  to  the  Nuncio  at  Brussels  complaining  that  the 
Franciscans  who  had  abandoned  their  convent  during  the 
wars  of  the  Revolution  had  now  returned,  and  were  inter- 
fering with  the  quest  of  the  Dominicans  who  had  maintained 
an  uninterupted  domicile,  and  referred  to  their  title  of  400 
years.  Dr.  Armstrong,  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor,  had 
attempted  to  settle  these  disputes  in  1731,  and  he  published 
in  1734  letters  in  favour  of  the  Dominicans,  but  in  1738  he 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  173 

feared  to  brave  the  enmity  of  the  Franciscans,  under  these 
circumstances  the  Prior  of  Down  prayed  the  Nuncio  to 
nominate  Dr.  Armstrong,  the  primate,  or  any  other  prelate 
to  adjudicate.  In  his  letter,  dated  July  5th,  1734,  Dr. 
Armstrong  says,  that  the  Franciscans  would  render  them- 
selves very  odious  "si  ulterius  pertnrbarent  Dominicanos 
in  possessione  legitimse  jurisdictionis."  This  difficulty  seems 
to  have  arisen  from  the  establishment  in  Glenshesk  of  the 
Franciscans  of  Carrickfergus  and  Bunnamairge. 

The  Dominican  Fathers,  resident  in  the  district  in  1756, 
were  Very  Rev.  Father  Bernard  MacHenry,  who  had  been 
twice  Provincial,  prior  of  Coleraine,  then  in  the  63rd  year 
of  his  age,  and  the  39th  of  his  profession ;  he  died  in  the 
convent  of  his  Order  inDrogheda,  August,  15th  1757;  he 
was  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Loughguile;  and  the  Very 
Rev.  Father  Patrick  Dominick  Diamond  in  the  56  th  year 
of  his  age,  and  the  35th  of  his  profession ;  he  died  near 
Coleraine,  October  2nd,  1760. 

The  Dominicans  resident  in  the  district  in  1760  were 
Father  Archibald  MacAmbrose  (now  M'Cambridge)  in  the 
44  year  of  his  age,  and  the  24th  of  profession,  and  Father 
Patrick  MacHenry  in  the  46th  year  of  his  age,  and  the  19th 
of  his  profession  ;  he  died  parish  priest  of  Glenravel  in  1797 
(see  p.  94.)  Friar  MacCary,  in  a  little  work  which  he 
published  in  1797,  when  he  was  parish  priest  of  Carrickfergus 
and  Larne,  styles  himself  Prior  of  Coleraine  (see  Vol.  Ill, 
p.  111.)  Until  the  beginning  of  this  century  friars  of 
Coleraine  convent  were  scattered  through  the  counties  of 
Derry  and  Antrim*  where  they  officiated  generally  as 
assistants  to  the  secular  priests. 

*  The  friars  found  a  welcome  reception  among  the  Catholics  of  the 


174  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

It  would  seem  that  Coleraine  in  the  12th  century  was  a 
town  of  considerable  importance ;  St.  Bernai'd^  in  his  Life 
of  St.  Malachy,  calls  it  "  the  city  of  Coleraine," — in  civitate 
Culratim,  and  relates  a  miracle  wrought  by  St.  Malachy  in 
it.  The  church  of  Coleraine  and  other  churches  in  the 
vicinity  were  plundered,  a.d.  1171,  by  Manus  O'Heochy,  a 
prince  of  the  present  County  of  Down,  who  was  afterwards 
defeated  with  great  loss,  including  twenty-one  chiefs,  by 
Connor  O'Kane  at  head  of  a  small  party  of  the  Kinel-Owen. 
A.D.  1197,  "John  de  Courcy  and  the  English  of  Ulidia 
marched  with  an  army,  to  Eas-Creeva  (the  Cuts),  and 
erected  the  castle  of  Kilsanctan,  and  wasted  and  desolated 
the  territory  of  Kienaghta  (the  barony  of  Keenaghl.)  He 
left  Eotsel  Pitun,  together  with  a  large  body  of  forces,  in 
the  castle,  out  of  which  they  proceeded  to  plunder  and 
ravage  the  territories  and  churches."  It  seems  strange  to 
find  churches  devastated  in  wars  of  Christians,  bat  we  must 
bear  in  mind,  that  buildings  of  stone  were  then  of  rare 
occurrence,  and  churches  were  often  turned  into  places  of 
defence,  and  were  consequently  used  not  only  by  those  who 
wished  to  deprecate  the  wrath  of  heaven,  but  also  by  those 
who  sought  to  escape  the  rage  of  men.  At  p.p.  9  and  10  an 
vicinity  of  Maghera  and  Ballynascreen.  I  have  in  manuscript 
7'Ae  Imitation  of  Christ  very  faithfully  translated  into  Irish.  An 
entry  in  Irish  at  the  end  oi  Book  III,  states  that  the  translation  of 
that  book  was  finished  on  the  29th  of  June,  1769.  Deiryuoyde,  a 
townland  in  the  parish  of  Ballynascreen,  and  the  manner  of  serving 
Mass  for  a  priest  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominick  being  entered  on 
vacant  leaves  of  the  manuscript,  make  it  probable  that  the  translation 
was  made  by  one  of  the  Dominicans  of  Coleraine.  The  M.S.  is 
deficient  from  the  14th  section  of  the  12th  chapter  of  Book  II,  to 
the  53rd  chapter  of  Book  III.  It  seems  to  be  the  earliest  Irish 
translation  of  the  Imitation.  Father  O'SuUivan's  Irish  translation 
was  published  in  1822. 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLEEAINE.  175 

account  is  given  of  grants  of  lands  in  Coleraine  and  its 
vicinity,  made  in  the  year  1210,  by  King  John,  to  Alan, 
Earl  of  Galloway.  A  younger  brother  of  Alan  who  assisted 
in  subjugating  the  Irish  is  called  by  the  Four  Masters 
Thomas  MacXJchtry  after  his  grandfather,  Uchtred,  or 
Gothred.  He  made  Coleraine  his  headquarters,  from  which 
he  made  frequent  incursions  throughout  the  present  counties 
of  Derry  and  Donegal.  In  1213  the  Four  Masters  record 
"  Thomas  MacUchtry  and  Eory  MacRandal  (MacDonnell) 
plundered  Derry-Columbkille,  and  carried  off  from  the 
middle  of  the  Church  of  Derry  all  the  precious  articles  of 
the  people  of  Derry,  and  of  the  North  of  Ireland,  which 
they  brought  to  Coleraine  ....  The  castle  of 
Coleraine  was  erected  by  Thomas  MacUchtry,  and  the 
English  of  Ulidia ;  and  all  the  cemeteries  and  buildings  of 
the  town  were  thrown  down  except  the  church  to  supply 
the  materials  for  erecting  this  castle."  In  1215  King  John 
granted  to  this  Thomas  MacUchtry,  or  de  Galloway,  the 
castle  of  Coleraine,  and  the  ten  Knights  fees,  on  each  side 
ot  the  Bann,  which  he  had  retained  in  the  previous  grant 
(see  p.  10.)  This  castle  of  Coleraine  was  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Bann  within  the  grounds  of  Jackson  Hall,  or  the 
Manor  House,  and  was  a  sore  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  Irish ; 
hence  the  Four  Masters  record  that  1221  "The  son  of 
Hugh  de  Lacy  came  to  Ireland  without  the  consent  of  the 
King  of  England  and  joined  Hugh  O'Neill.  Both  set  out 
to  oppose  the  English  of  Ireland,  and  first  they  went  to 
Coleraine  where  they  demolished  the  castle." 

A.D.  1248.     The  Lord  Justice,  Theobald  Butler,  marched 

an  army  into  Tyrone  against  O'Neill  and  on   this    occasion 

The  Justiciary  of  Ireland  went  to  Coleraine  with  an  army; 


176  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

and  a  bridge  and  a  castle  were  built  by  them  at  Druim- 
thairsigh." — Annals  of  Ulster.  This  name  which  signifies 
"  the  hill  on  the  other  side"  has  long  faded  from  local 
recollection  and  might  have  been  difficult  to  identify,  but 
for  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas,  which  introduces  the 
church  oi  Drumtarsi  between  that  of  Camus  and  Dunboe. 
It  is  now  Kilowen;  and  the  castle  was  that  which  had  been 
built  by  Thomas  MacUchtry  in  1213,  but  destroyed  in 
1221.  There  is  still  preserved  a  roll  containing  receipts, 
derived  from  certain  manors  in  the  vicinity  of  Colerainc, 
from  the  year  1259  to  1262—"  £10  13s.  4d.  of  the  rent  of 
Villa  Ossandali*  for  same  time  ;  and  of  4  Marks  of  the 
rent  of  Ardbeganf;  of  <£23  Os  8d  of  the  rent  of  the  burgages 
of  Coulrath  with  the  demesnes  thereof  put  to  farm  for  the 
same  time  ;  of  JG4  of  the  rent  of  the  town  of  the  Monastery;! 
of  £16  of  the  rent  Drumtarsy  ;  of  40s.  of  the  rent  of  Henry 
de  Maundeville  for  two  carncates  of  land  in  Drumtarsy,  for 
the  aforesaid  4  terms  .  .  .  and  of  =£40  6s.  8d.  of  the 
issues  of  the  fisheries  of  the  Bann  for  the  aforesaid  time  ; 
and  of  2  Marks  of  the  issues  of  the  fishery  of  Lynne,§  for 
the  same  time." — Ulster  Journal  of  ArcJuxology ,  Vol.  III. 

In  1315  Prince  Edward  Bruce,  with  an  army  thinned  by 
war  and  famished  with  hunger,  traversed,  from  Dundalk, 
the  length  of  Ulster,  and  made  himself  master  of  Coleraine. 
On  the  approach  of  the  Earl  of  Ulster,  he  broke  down  the 
bridge,  but  the  Earl  found  other  means  to  cross  the  river, 
and  left  the  Scotch  to  starve.      Fortunately  however  for 

♦   Villa  Ossandali  is  either  Mount  Saiidall,  or  Ballysally. 
+   Ardbegan,    one    of    the  'townlands    which    belonged    to    the 
Dominican  Monastery. 

I  The  town  of  the  Monastery— the  Dominican  Monastery. 
§  Li/nne— the  Cutis. 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  177 

them  "a  scowmer  of  the  see/'  a  famous  Scotch  pirate,  named 
Thomas  Don,  sailed  in  with  four  ships,  which  he  had 
recently  captured,  and  freed  his  countrymen  from  their 
awkward  position.  In  1333,  on  the  death  of  William  de 
Burgo,  Earl  of  Ulster,  there  was  an  Inquisition  taken 
concerning  his  possessions  "  in  the  County  of  Coulrath,"  by 
which  it  was  found,  that  he  was  possessed  of  the  lands 
around  Coleraine,  among  which  were  Dunduan  and 
Drumtarsy  (Duudooan  and  Killoweu.)  Lionel,  Duke  of 
Clarence,  third  son  of  Edward  III.  having  married 
Elizabeth,  only  child  and  heir  of  William  de  Burgo,  became 
the  heir  through  his  wife  of  the  estates  and  title  of  her 
father,  and  soon  began  to  attempt  to  recover  from  the 
native  Irish  the  lands  of  the  earldom.  We  are  informed  in 
Davis's  Historical  Tracts,  that  he  succeeded  in  recovering 
from  the  enemy  "the  maritime  parts  of  Ulster."  In  1369, 
Coulrath  and  Drumtarsy  were  among  his  possessions  ;  it  is 
likely  his  conquests  were  very  limited  in  extent  and  dura- 
tion. A.D.  1376,  "  Cooey  O'Kane,  Lord  of  Oireacht  Ui 
Chathain,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  English  in  the  port  of 
Coleraine,  and  sent  by  them  to  Carrickfergus  in  fetters." 
Four  Masters.  The  tomb  of  this  Cooey-na-Gall  is  still  to 
be  seen  in  the  chancel  of  the  ancient  church  of  Dungiven. 
He  is  said  to  have  died,  A.D.  1385,  "  while  at  the  height  of 
prosperity  and  renown ;"  he  must  therefore  by  some  means 
have  got  out  of  the  hands  of  his  enemies — probably  he  was 
sent  home  to  pacify  his  gallant  clansmen,  who  seem  not  to 
have  been  idle  even  during  his  imprisonment  ;  for,  a.d. 
1382,  John  Kynanx,  Treasurer  of  Ulster,  is  ordered  to 
repair  the  castle  of  Drumtarsy,  the  bridge  of  Coulratli,  and 
the  towers  on  each  side  of  it.     From  that  period  the  power 


178  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

of  the  English  about  Coleraine  rapidly  decreased,  and  that 
of  the  great  lords,  Irish  and  Anglo-Irish,  rose  on  its  ruin. 
These  hated  each  other^  and  all  detested  the  English.  The 
O'Kanes  and  MacQaillins  fought,  conquered,  and  were 
worsted  alternately,  until  nothing  came  so  readily  to 
them  as  the  sword  and  the  spear,  and  no  playground  was 
more  acceptable  to  them  than  the  battlefield.  We  have 
already,  at  p.  12  and  following  pages  referred,  at  sufficient 
length  to  those  sanguinary  engagements.  In  every  treaty 
with  the  neighbouring  chiefs  the  government,  aware  of  its 
importance,  strove  to  reserve  Coleraine  and  its  castle.  In 
1542  the  Lord  Deputy  and  Council  advise  Henry  VIII.  to 
grant  Clannaboy  to  Niall  Conallough  O'Neill,  reserving 
Carrickfergus,  Olderfleet,  and  Coleraine.  The  visit  of 
Queen  Mary's  Deputy  is  already  mentioned  at  p.  166. 
Queen  Elizabeth,  a,d.  1567,  in  giving  instructions  to  the 
viceroy  regarding  the  future  security  of  the  North,  directed 
a  fort  to  be  built  at  Coleraine.  Her  Deputy,  Sir  J.  Perrot, 
formed  O'Kane's  country  into  the  County  of  Coleraine,  about 
1585.  After  the  final  and  irreparable  defeat  of  Hugh 
O'Neill,  no  resistance  was  ofi'ered  to  the  introduction  of 
English  law  into  Ireland  ;  peace,  the  daughter  of  famine  and 
sword,  was  proclaimed  throughout  the  devestated  districts 
of  Ulster.  We  have  already  seen  at  p.  168,  that  Sir  Thomas 
Philips  got  on  the  23rd  of  September,  1604,  a  conveyance 
of  the  late  priory  of  Coleraine  from  James  Hamilton  ;  in 
the  following  year,  Sir  Thomas  obtained  a  grant  for  21  years 
"  of  the  customs  of  goods  imported  and  exported  into  and 
from  Portrush  and  Portballintrae,  and  the  river  Bann, 
except  the  duties  on  all  wines  ;  and  also  the  ferry  and  ferry- 
boat of  Coleraine  over  the  Bann."     On  the  7th  of  December 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  179 

1607,  he  pi'ocui'ed  a  license  from  the  crown,  to  hold  a 
Thursday  market,  and  a  fair  at  Coleraine  on  St.  John  the 
Baptist's  Day  and  the  following  days,  at  the  yearly  rent  of 
6s.  8d.  On  the  20tli  of  April,  Sir  Thomas  was  empowered 
by  license  from  the  Crown  ^'  to  make  Aqua  Vitse  in  Coleraine 
County,  and  in  the  Route  in  Antrim  County."*  King 
James  had  by  letters  patent,  dated  May  28th,  1603,  granted 
to  Sir  Randal  M'Donnell  the  territories  called  the  Route 
and  Glynns,  while  by  other  grants  he  conferred  the  fishing 
ot  the  river  Bann  on  Sir  James  Hamilton.  These  various 
grants  overlapped  each  other  in  many  respects,  and  were  a 
fruitful  source  of  mutual  antipathies  among  the  parties 
interested.  In  the  mean  time,  by  the  flight  of  the  earls,  six 
counties  were  declared  forfeited,  and  King  James  resolved 
to  make  a  great  plantation  of  English  and  Scotchmen  in 
Ulster.  About  this  time  he  imagined  that  the  Corporation 
of  London  was  the  wisest  Corporation  in  the  world,  and  as 
such  the  fittest  to  carry  out  his  intentions.  He  directed 
Cecil  to  make  arrangements  with  it.  The  Corporation 
bound  itself  to  levy  £20,000  whereof  £15,000  was  to  be 
expended  on  the  plantation,  and  <£5,0C0  was  to  be  set  aside 
to  satisfy  private  claims.  It  also  bound  itself  to  build  the 
town  of  Coleraine  on  the  Abbey  sidet  of  the  river;    100 

*  It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  that  Toome,  Bushmills,  Coleraine, 
and  Limavaddy,  where  Philips  had  permission  from  the  Crown  to 
manufacture  what  he  terms  A(2ua  Vita,  have  ever  since  been  famed 
for  that  product. 

+  ' '  The  city  deputies,  who  were  sent  into  Ireland,  observed  that 
the  castle  of  Coleraine  stood  on  the  west  side  of  the  Bann  and  that 
the  river  bank  rose  up  so  steep  on  that  side,  that  a  town  could  not 
be  seated  there,  either  for  water  or  for  fishing.  Finding  the  other 
side  of  the  Bann,  where  the  town  of  Coleraine  formerly  stood,  in  the 
County  of  Antrim,  more  fit  to  build  a  city,  they  desire  to  build  the 


180  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

houses  were  to  be  built  immediately,  and  room  left  for  200 
more.  3,000  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  town  were  to  be 
appropriated  to  it ;  and  the  liberties  of  the  town  were  to 
extend  three  miles.  The  Corporation  was  to  possess  the 
duties,  tolls,  and  customs  of  Derry  and  Coleraine,  on  pay- 
ment of  6s,  8d.  yearly  to  the  Crown  ;  and  on  its  part  the 
Corporation  engaged  that  the  houses  should  be  completed 
on  tlio  1st  of  November,  1611.  This  agreement  was 
signed  on  the  28th  of  January,  1609-10,  but  the 
Londoners  did  not  receive  the  formal  grant  from  the  Crown, 
until  1613.  The  Crown  and  Corporation  purchased  out  the 
respective  rights  of  Sir  Randal  MacDonnell,  Sir  Thomas 
Philips,  and  James  Hamilton,  and  the  works  were  at  once 
commenced  with  the  greatest  activity.  Chichester  writes 
to  Salisbury — "  The  pirates  upon  this  coast  are  so  many  and 
become  so  bold,  that  now  they  are  come  into  this  channel 
.  they  lay  for  the  Londoners  money  sent  for  the 
works  at  Coleraine,  but  missed  it ;  .  .  .  wishes  he  had 
a  commission  for  the  adjudging  and  executing  of  pirates  and 
priests  here,  who  vex  and  disturb  the  kingdom  more  than 
can  be  understood  by  others  but  them  that  feel  it." — Dublin 
Castle,  27th  June,  1610.  Cal.  State  Papers,  1608  1610. 
The  following  report  shows  the  state  of  the  works  in  161 1  : — 
Bibl.  Lamheth  No.  QZOfol.  42.  —A  perfect  relation  and  reporte  of 
the  workes,  buyldings,  and  ffortefications  don  by  the  English,  and 
svirvoyede  by  vs,  in  most  places,  and  the  rest  certefied  vnto  vs  by 
the  Governors,  SherefFes,  &  others  imployed  by  vs  in  our  jurney  into 
the  Province  of  Ulster  begune  the  29th  of  July,  IGll. 

town  there,  and  to  have  3,000  acres  adjacent.  Answer  .  .  .  the 
King  has  no  ground  on  that  side  of  the  river  to  lay  to  the  town,  the 
whole  county  thereabouts  belonging  to  Sir  llandal  MacDonnell." 
Tlie  first  Conference  with  the  Deputies  of  London  for  the  Plantation  of 
Ulster.     State  Paper  Ireland,  Vol.  22S. 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  181 

The  Toione  of  Colrayne.— The  first  buyldinges  of  wch  wee  tooke 
note  was  at  Colrayne,  where  we  sawe  a  good  rampier  of  earth  and 
sodds,  raysed  6  foote  high,  and  12  and  14  foote  thicke,  lounde 
aboute  the  Towne,  and  the  bulworks  of  same  height,  the  ditch  digged 
aboute  3  foote  deepe,  and  neere  its  full  bredth  of  36  or  40  foote,  the 
first  bulwork  raiyed  to  its  full  height  of  12  foote,  and  so  is  most  pte 
of  the  Gurten  betweene  the  first  and  second  bulworke. 

The  second  bulworke  neere  its  full  height,  and  the  Curten  betweene 
the  second  and  3rd  bulworke,  in  one  jjlace  with  another,  8  and  9 
foote  high,  and  the  ditch  all  that  waye,  one  pace  accompted  wth 
another,  4  or  5  foote  deepe. 

Wthin  the  rampier  was  first  bbylded  a  rowe  of  houses,  of  26  tene- 
ments, of  birch  and  oke,  each  tenemt  18  foote  longe  and  12  foote 
wide,  one  fioure  and  dormers,  covered  with  slate  and  some  of  them 
with  bricke  chimneyes  finished.  Three  other  tenements  in  the  next 
rowe  of  16  foote  towards  the  streets  and  23  foote  backwards,  one 
floure  and  doble  dormers,  wth  two  bricke  chimneyes  a  pice,  slated 
and  finished.  A  house  of  3  tenements,  wherein  Mr.  Tanner  dwelleth, 
of  18  foote  a  peece  longe,  and  12  foote  wyde,  wth  doble  dormers  two 
storyes  high,  two  floures  and  6  chimneys  of  bricke,  slated  a.id 
fynished. 

A  faire  house  adioyininge  to  the  Abbie,  of  72  foote  longe,  27  foote 
wyde,  2  stories  high,  one  storie  on  the  foreside  of  tymber,  with  3 
faire  cant  wyndowes  and  doble  dormers,  with  faire  wyndowes,  2 
fioures,  2  pairs  of  stayres  and  partitions,  wth  a  seller  through  the 
house,  fynished. 

Another  house  neere  unto  the  former,  of  48  foot  longe  and  14  foote 
wyde,  a  storie  and  a  half  high,  tatched  and  finished. 

A  malte  house  with  a  tenement  and  a  fayre  kill,  of  92  foote  in 
length  and  21  foote  wyde,  part  of  it  a  storie  and  a  half  high,  tatched 
and  finished. 

A  bru-house  of  70  foote  long,  20  foots  wyde,  a  storie  and  a  half 
high,  and  a  floure  over  half  the  house,  2  bricks  chimneyes,  with  a 
dwellinge  house  17  foote  longe  and  14  foot  wyde,  2  fioures,  with 
dormers  and  bricke  chimneyes,  with  a  shed  joynings  to  the  same  for 
a  buttery,  all  well  slated  and  finished. 

A  house  appointed  for  a  shipwright,  with  a  work-house  adioyninge 
the  same  of  42  foote  longe  and  20  foote  wide,  with  one  floure  and  2 
chimneyes  of  stone  in  one  pill  beinge,  slated  and  finished,  with  a 
docke  for  boats  to  come  in  and  out  of  the  Bann  to  the  same  house. 


182  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

A  house  divided  into  two  partes  for  2  smithes,  wherein  are  four 
forges,  with  a  floure  and  a  dwelling-house  of  38  foote  long  and  18 
foote  broade,  tatched  and  finished. 

A  house  of  30  foote  longe  and  15  foote  wyde,  with  a  floure,  and 
another  small  tenement  adioyninge  to  the  same,  both  tatched  and 
finished. 

The  Church  of  Colraine  in  repayring. 

A  house  of  3  tenements,  of  IS  foote  a  peice  square,  with  chimneyes 
of  stone,  tatched  and  finished. 

Ffourteens  cottages  of  okin  tymber  and  birch,  with  chimneyes,  of 
one  storie,  buylded  in  the  worke  yarde,  and  tatched  and  finished  for 
dwellinge  for  workmen. 

A  house  for  three  tenemts  wherein  Mr.  Robinson  dwelleth,  with 
chimneys,  tatched  and  finished. 

Ffoure  tenemts  at  the  Leape  for  workmen,  buylte  of  oke  and  birch 
tymber,  with  chimneyes,  tatched  and  finished. 

A  house  of  90  foote  long  and  18  foote  wyde,  tatched,  to  make  brick 
in,  with  a  dwellinge-house  to  the  same,  tatched  and  finished. 

A  house  of  9  foot  square,  to  tymper  clay  in,  tatched  and  finished. 

Another  house  of  042  foote  long  and  28  foote  wyde,  of  birch  and 
oke  tatched. 

A  house  to  make  tyle  in,  with  a  lodinge  or  dwellinge-house  to  it,  of 
92  foote  long  and  18  foote  wyde,  tatched  and  finished. 

Ffive  tenements  in  the  rowe  next  the  newe  rowe,  of  23  foote  longe 
a  peice  and  16  foote  wyde,  doble  dormers,  one  floure,  and  two  bricke 
chimneyes,  a  pice  already  slathed  and  lathed. 

Ffoure  tenements  more  added  to  the  South  end  of  the  new  rowe  of 
18  foote  long  and  12  foote  wyde,  with  double  dormers,  1  floure,  and 
2  bricke  chimneyes  a  peece,  the  fore  parte  beiiige  timber,  the  backe 
parte  of  stone  ready  set  up,  and  there  chimneyes  buylte,  and  are 
presentlie  to  be  slated  and  finished. 

A  rowe  of  tenemts  sett  up  in  the  high  streete  of  17  foote  wyde  by 
the  streete,  and  23  foote  backwarde,  2  stories  high,  2  floures,  with 
a  dormer  to  each  house,  2  bricke  chimneyes,  and  to  some  3,  and  this 
frame  is  lathed,  and  the  chimneyes  buylte,  and  presentlie  to  be 
slated  and  finished. 

A  frame  of  2  tenemts  sett   up  at   the  East   ende  of  Mr.  Tanner's 

house,  of  34  foote  longe  and  18  foote  wyde,  2  stories  high,  2  floures, 

a  double  dormer  and  four  chimneyes,  wch  is  forthwith  to  be  slated- 

A  frame  of  15  tenemts  ready   framed,  to  be  sett   up  iu   the  rowe 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLEUAINE.  183 

against  the  newe  rowe,  beinge  of  23  foote  wyde  and  16  foote  towards 
the  streete,  one  fioure,  and  a  dormer,  and  for  2  chimneyes  a  peece. 

The  streete  betweene  the  newe  rowe  and  these  last  being  4')  foote 
wyde  and  120  yards  long,  is  all  paved  with  some  part  of  another 
streete  of  the  same  bredth. 

A  frame  now  on  hand,  for  the  most  part  finished,  of  12  tenemta  of 
18  foote  wyde  and  12  foote  towards  the  streete,  2  stories  high,  with 
dormers,  and  two  bricke  chimneyes  to  every  tenemt. 

Another  frame  in  hand,  which  is  to  stand  in  high  streets  against 
the  market  place,  consistinge  of  8  tenemts  of  17  foote  by  the  streete, 
and  23  foote  backward,  2  stories  high,  with  2  floures  and  dormers, 
the  frame  halfe  finished,  and  the  foundations  already  layd. 

A  roofe  for  the  Church  of  78  longe,  29  foote  wyde,  in  hand,  and 
ready  to  be  put  up. 

A  myle  dam,  with  a  banke  at  the  head  of  the  pond  of  300  foote 
longe,  and  40  foote  broad,  and  14  or  15  deepe,  with  two  very  faire 
fioudgates,  lyned  with  stronge  oken  tymbr  and  planks. 

A  fayre  m3de  house  of  25  foote  and  4  in  length  and  22  foote  in 
bredth,  of  one  storie  high,  with  a  dwellinge  house  adioyninge,  with 
a  brick  chimney,  slated  and  finished. 

Three  myles  in  the  same  house,  one  for  wheat,  another  for  malte, 
the  3  for  a  tuckmyle. 

A  very  faire  pounde  of  sawn  oaken  timbei-,  of  40  foote  square. 

A  bridge  or  wharfe,  made  in  the  Bann,  of  60  foote  longe  and  12 
foote  broade,  of  very  strong  oke  tymber,  clasped  together  in  the 
joynts  with  barres  and  boults  of  iron. 

A  wharfe  with  a  paire  of  stayres  22  foote  longe. 

Two  great  sawe  pitts  with  houses  over  them,  covered  with  deale 
boards,  for  10  pairs  of  sawiers. 

Two  other  sawe  pitts  for  4  paire  of  sawiers. 

A  work  yard,  palled  in,  of  470  foote  longe  and  290  foote  broade, 
with  foure  great  gates  and  two  doores. 

Two  store  yards,  boarded  in  with  the  worke  yarde,  with  shades  in 
them  for  men  to  worke  drye  in. 

Two  very  faire  kills  of  stone,  to  burne  bricke  in,  with  houses  over 
them. 

Two  bricke  yards,  ditched  in,  with  faire  field  gates,  contayninge 
about  an  acre  a  peice. 

Cabbans  and  sheds  about  the  said  kills,  and  600,000  brickes  ready 
made  and  burnt. 


184  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

56,000  tyle  burnt  and  ready  to  be  burnt,  besyds  roofe  tyle  and 
pavinge  tyle. 

Good  store  of  wood  lyinge  ready  at  the  kills. 

A  faire  lyme  kill  of  stone  ab  Colrayne,  wth  good  store  of  slacke 
cole  for  the  burnings  of  lyme  there. 

Two  sheds  to  put  lyme  and  slate  in,  divers,  cabbins,  and  sheds, 
buylded  against  the  houses  and  in  the  towne  for  labourers  and 
workmen. 

Good  store  of  spokes,  naves,  and  fellowes,  for  cartwhiles. 

Good  store  of  carts,  wayues,  and  trumbells  for  carriage  of  stone , 
lyme,  cole,  and  tymber,  sand  and  lome,  about  which  are  contynually 
at  Colrayne  imployed  9  draughts  of  3  horses  in  a  draught,  with 
labourers  and  carters  convenient  to  manage  the  same. 

The  foundation  of  a  rowe  of  stone  houses  brought  up  above  the 
ground,  of  140  foote  long  and  20  foote  wyde,  at  the  South  gate  in 
the  towne. 

Work  done  about  the  old  Abbie  in  makinge  of  sheds  for  store 
houses  and  Courte  of  Guarde,  and  reparations  done  to  the  old  house. 

A  since  of  Imye  and  stone  to  carry  the  water  through  the  rampiers 
into  the  Bann,  the  foundacons  of  both  the  parts  of  lyme  and  stone 
brought  up  above  the  grounde. 

A  very  great  number  of  pickaxes,  spades,  showells,  great  crowes 
of  iron,  great  iron  sledges,  and  wedges  to  break  quarries,  with  a 
very  great  number  of  wheelbarrowes  and  handbarrowes,  which 
continually  ask  repairinge. 

A  house  of  firboards  to  put  the  workmen's  tools  in,  to  be  drowne 
frome  place  to  place  about  the  walls. 

Much  stone  raysed  at  the  Leape  and  divers  other  places  about 
Coleraine. 

A  stone  wharfe  buylded  at  the  Leaps  with  the  wayes  lended  and 
mended  in  divers  places  on  both  syds  the  Leape,  with  divers  cashes 
and  bridges  of  tymber  and  planks,  made  over  boggs  for  the  passinge 
of  carts  and  tymber. 

Two  great  barges,  one  of  fiftie  foote,  the  other  of  25  foote  ;  the 
one  used  above  the  Leape,  the  other  belowe. 

Seven  boats,  one  horse-boat  for  the  ferry,  one  for  the  Carvill,  2 
for  above  the  Leape,  and  2  lost. 

A  faire  lyme  kill  of  stone,  builded  at  Portrush,  where  great  store 
of  lyme  is  burnt,  and  store  of  lymestone  drawn  ready  to  be  burnt, 
where  two  teams  are  contynually  imployed  for  the  carriadge  of 
lymestone  to  the  kill,  beinge  above  a  myle  a  sunder. 


THE  PARISH  OP  COLEEAINE.  185 

Ffoure  or  fyve  Irish  houses,  buylded  there  for  workmen  aud 
cattle  that  work  there,  diverrs  Cashes,  mades  and  wayes  mended 
with  tymber  and  planks,  betweene  Coleraine  and  Portrush,  for  the 
passage  of  cartes. 

There  is  in  the  store  for  the  citizens  compleat  armes  for  100  men, 
with  pDwder,  match,  and  store  of  lead,  and  for  provision  of  ship- 
pinge,  cables,  cordage,  ankers,  store  of  canvas  for  sales,  with  pitch, 
tarre,  rossen,  and  okum,  together  with  all  other  hinsions  fitt  for 
their  workmen  and  others. 

Hereafter  followeth  a  declaration  of  what  is  done  in  the  woods  of 
Glanconkeyne,  in  the  Barony  of  Lough  Enish  of  Lyne  granted 
to  the  Londoners  : — 

There  is  400  load  of  tymber  feld  and  squard,  and  most  of  it  drawne 
to  the  Bann  side,  400  trees  wch  lye  ready  felled. 

About  20  Irish  houses,  tatched,  with  chimneyes  buylte  at  the 
woods,  for  dwellinge  for  workmen. 

A  house  wherein  Mr.  Hilliocke  dwelleth  being  of  four  bayes,  a 
storie  and  a  half  high,  wth  a  floure,  two  chimneys  covered  with 
borde. 

About  200  duzen  of  Birtch  poles,  felled  for  buyldinge,  of 
scafFalinge,  and  burning  of  bricke  and  tyle. 

About  100,000  lathers  already  riven  in  the  woods. 

By  estimation  there  have  byne  digged  upwards  of  40  sawe  pitts 
in  such  places  from  whence  tymber  could  not  be  drawn. 

Ffoure  men  contynually  imployed  aboute  making  of  Cashes  to 
drawe  tymber  of  the  woods  to  the  Bann. 

About  300  horseload  of  wattles  lyinge  ready  in  the  woods. 

Two  frames  of  houses  of  six  bayes  a  pice  in  hand,  and  neere 
finished,  by  Moore  &  Wilson. 

Tymber  for  one  ship  ready  squared  and  sawen,  for  another  tymber 
felled  and  squared. 

Great  store  of  firewood  for  burning  of  brickes  and  tyle,  ready  cut 
and  at  the  water  side. 

Ffoure  and  twenty  oxen  contynually  imployed  in  the  woods  for 
drawinge  of  timber  to  the  water  side. 

Workmen  and  Labourers  imployed  in  Coleraine — Carpenters,  41  ; 
Sawyers,  28  ;  Wheelrights,  4  ;  Bricklayers,  11  ;  Plasterers,  2  ; 
Masons,  11  ;  Slaters,  10  ;  Brick  makers,  Tyle  makers  and  their  men, 
20  ;  Lyme  burners,  05;  Lyme  Stone  diggers,  04;  Quarymen,  10; 
Laborers,  40  ;  Laborers  about  the  forteficacans,  50  ;  Boat  and  Barge 
men,  12  ;  Clarks,  03  ;  Carters,  11  ;   Men  in  the  Carvil,  07  ;   In  the 


18G  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

woods,  Ship  Wrights,  04  ;  Sawyers,  09  ;  Tymber  Squarers,  04  ; 
Waynmen,  08  ;  Tymber,  wood  sellers  and  Rasters  (rafters)  of  Tymber 
and  wood,  12  ;  Cottmen  from  the  wood  to  the  Leap,  09  ;  Lathe 
renders,  20  ;  Overseers  thereof,  03  ;  Floters  of  tymber  from  the 
Leape,  03  ;  English  and  Irish  men  imployed  by  Mr,  Nugent  in  the 
woods  for  the  feelinge  squaringe  and  bringinge  down  of  tymber,  32  ; 
Myle  Wrights,  workinge  in  Colrayne,  04  ;  Carters  at  the  Leape  and 
in  the  woods,  00  ;  the  whole  number  of  workmen  at  Colrayne  and 
in  the  woods,  379  ;  Horses  and  oxen  imployed  in  Colrayne  in  severall 
Teemes  as  followeth,  8  teemes  of  Horses  in  each  teeme  3  Horses, 
24  ;  4  Garrons  with  Leares  drawinge  water  to  the  Bricke  and  Tyle 
makers  and  other  necessary  workers  aboute  the  Towue,  04  •  4 
English  oxen  in  a  Teeme,  04  ;  2  Teeme  wth  6  horses  drawinge  Lyme 
stone  at  Portrushe,  06  ;  One  teeme  at  the  Leape  with  8  English 
oxen,  08  ;  Oxen  drawinge  tymber  in  the  woods,  25  ;  3  horses 
drawinge  lathe  in  the  woods,  03  ;  the  whole  nomber  of  horses 
imployed  in  the  works  there,  37  ;  the  whole  nomber  of  oxen  imployed 
in  Colraine,  and  the  woods,  37. 

The  map  of  the  town  in  1611,  which  accompanied  this 
report,  is  preserved  among  the  Manuscripts  of  Trinity- 
College,  Dublin.  A  copy  of  it  presented  by  John  M'Loughlin, 
Esq.,  Carthall,  to  the  Town  Commissionei's  of  Coleraine,  is 
hung  up  in  the  Town  Hall.  The  map,  with  report,  presents 
to  us  a  complete  picture  of  the  state  of  the  town  in  1611, 

At  that  period  the  Bann  was  not  spanned  by  any  bridge, 
and  the  town  was  surrounded  by  "  a  good  rampior  of  earth 
and  sods,  raysed  6  foote  high  and  12  or  14  foote  thick  rounde 
about  the  to wne ;  but  the  reader  must  refer  to  the  report 
for  a  description  of  the  "  rampier  "  with  its  "  bulwarks," 
its  "  ditch  "  and  its  "  curten."  This  wall  commenced  at  the 
Bann,  some  perches  below  the  site  of  the  present  bridge,  its 
coni'se  from  the  Portstewart  Road  to  the  King's  Gate  is 
even  yet  sufficiently  well  marked  ;  from  that  point  it  seems 
to  have  occupied  the  site  of  Society  Street,  then  turning 
towards  the  Bann,  along  south  side  of  the  street  formerly 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  187 

called  Back  Lane  which  ran  along  the  site  of  the  present 
Waterloo  Market,  it  crossed  the  northern  end 
of  Blind  Gate  Street,  and  continued  in  nearly  a 
straight  line  towards  the  Bann.  The  town  was  entered 
by  two  gates,  one  of  which  was  at  King's-gate  Street 
and  the  other  at  Blind  Gate  Street.  Both  gates  are  marked 
respectively  "  Porte ;"  neither  of  them  is  designated  by  the 
present  names  either  in  the  map  or  in  the  report,  but  in  the 
latter  one  of  them,  which  must  have  been  Blind  Gate, 
is  called  "  The  South  Gate."  The  map  shows  three  bulwarks 
or  bastions  on  the  North  side  of  the  town  between  the  Bann 
and  King's  Gate.  One  was  on  the  Bann  side  of  the  Port- 
stewart  Road  ;  a  second,  which  was  triangular,  was  N.W. 
of  the  Church  ;  and  there  was  a  great  one  at  the,  bend  of 
the  wall  near  the  Church.  There  were  two  others  between 
King's  Gate  and  South  Gate,  one  of  which  was  near  the 
latter  gate,  and  on  the  east  side  of  it ;  another  stood 
some  distance  to  the  West  side  of  it,  while  the  seventh  was 
placed  about  half-way  between  the  last  mentioned  and  the 
Bann.  The  portion  of  the  ancient  town  fortifications  which 
yet  remain  may  doubtlessly  be  considered  as  in  every  respect 
similar  to  those  which  have  been  destroyed.  Where  the 
rampart  touched  the  river  above  the  site  of  the  G^isworks, 
there  is  written  on  the  map,  "  Pallisade  intended  to  be  built 
in  ye  river."  Outside  the  rampart  on  the  site  of  the  present 
fair  green,  is  written  "Ye  Lime  Kill."  Betwen  the  corner 
of  the  present  Ferry  Quay  Street  and  the  Gasworks,  there 
is  written,  "  A  brew  house  70  feet  long,  20  broad."  On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  present  Ferry  Quay  Street,  there  is 
marked,  "  A  malting  house  92  feet  long  20  wide."  A  little 
farther  down  the  river  than  opposite  to  Ferry  Quay  Street, 


188  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

there  is  marked,  "  A  bridge  or  key  in  ye  Bann  60  feet  long, 
12  broad."  It  is  described  in  the  Report,  "  A  bridge  or 
wharfe  made  in  the  Bann  of  60  foote  and  12  foote  broade  of 
very  strong  oke  tymber  clasped  together  in  the  joynts  with 
barres  and  boultes  of  iron."  On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Bann,  extending  from  the  North  side  of  Killowen  Churchyard 
towards  the  bridge  is  marked,  "  Saturday  Market  Place." 

Returning  to  the  Eastern  side  of  the  river,  a  few  perches 
below  the  site  of  the  present  baidge,  there  is  marked,  "  A 
warfe  and  steynes  to  go  down  to  ye  Bann  ;"  but  in  the 
Report  this  is  better  described  as,  "  A  wharfe  with  a  paire  of 
stayres,  22  foote  longe."  A  little  below  this  the  rampart 
met  the  Bann.  Near  the  rampart  and  parallel  to  it  there 
were  "  3  tenements  for  a  butcher,  and  smith,  and  glezer." 
On  the  Western  side  of  the  river,  exactly  opposite  to  the 
"warfe  "  and  the  termniation  of  the  rampart,  is  marked  "The 
oulde  castle  of  Colrayne.     A  ...  of  gards." 

Having  now  gone  round  the  walls  and  boundaries  of  the 
town,  we  will  note  the  state  of  the  buildings  along  the 
streets.  A  number  of  houses  seem  to  have  been  erected  on 
the  left  side  of  Bridge  Street,  as  far  as  where  the  Queen's 
Arms  and  Swan  Vaults  are.  Somewhere  about  the  site  of 
it  a  broad  passage  seemingly  intended  for  a  future  street 
extended  to  the  rampart,  and  was  parallel  to  the  present 
Preaching-house  Lane.  Immediately  behind  the  row  of 
houses  which  lined  Bridge  Street  there  was  a  vacant  space 
which  extended  to  the  rampart  and  the  Bann.  This  is 
marked  on  the  map  as  "  The  Beast  Market."  In  more 
recent  times  a  part  of  that  space  formed  a  barrackyard. 
The  entrance  to  it  was  by  the  broad  passage  alreadv  described. 
About  the  termination  of  that  passage,  where  it  reached  the 
rampart,  was  one  of  the  bastions. 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  189 

Commencing  again  at  the  river,  the  old  abbey,  as  it  was 
called,  but  more  correctly  the  Church  of  the  Dominican 
Monastry,  extended  along  the  right  side  of  the  street.  There 
is  a  bird's-eye  view  of  it,  as  it  existed  in  1611,  given  on  the 
map,  but  we  have  already  at  p.  17(),  described  that  part  of 
the  map. 

The  Diamond  is  marked  on  the  old  map  "  Market  Place." 
The  class  of  bouses  erected  in  the  Diamond  is  thus  described 
in  the  Report  : — A.  rowe  of  tenements  sett  up  in  the  high 
street,  of  i7  foote  wyde  by  the  streete,  and  23  foote  back- 
warde,  2  stories  high,  2  floures,  with  a  dormer  to  each  house, 
2  bricke  chimneys,  and  to  some  of  them  3,  and  this  frame  is 
lathen  and  the  chimneys  buylte,  and  presentlie  to  be  slated 
and  finished.',  The  reres  of  these  and  of  all  the  other  rows 
of  houses  are  marked  on  the  map,  "  Gardens  and  backsides." 
The  streets  marked  on  the  map,  but  not  named,  are  Bridge 
Street,  Preaching-house  Lane,  Bell-house  Lane,  Rosemary 
Lane,  Church  Street,  King's-gate  Street,  Society  Street,  or 
rather  an  open  space  inside  the  rampart,  nearly  corresponding 
with  one  side  of  that  street,  New-row,  Stonerow,  Meeting- 
house Street,  Jail  Street,  Cross  Lane  and  Ferryquay  Street. 
On  the  south  side  of  Jail  Street  is  marked,  "  A  row  of 
tenements  or  stone  walls,  containing  12-16^'  houses,  whose 
walls  nearly  built."  Between  the  corner  of  the  Diamond 
and  New-row  is  marked,  "  A  row  of  10  tenements  nearly 
finished."  In  the  east  side  of  New-row  is  marked,  "  The 
New-row,  containing  30  tenements."  On  the  west  side  of 
New-row  is  marked,  "  Ye  row  on  ye  west  side  of  the  former 
street,  containing  23  tenements."  In  Church  Street, 
extending   from  the   corner  of   New-row    towards    Society 

*  12-16  means  12  feet  in  front  and  16  feet  in  rere. 


190  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Street,  is  marked,  "Foundation  of  12  houses  and  freme, 
making  12-14  tenements  ready  to  roofe."  At  the  corner  of 
Church  Street  and  Society  Street  is  marked,  ''  A  row  5 
tenements,  3  finished,  5  neare."  The  present  Protestant 
Church  is  marked  on  the  map,  "■  The  ould  church  with  a 
new  roofe  and  walls  repay  red."  King's-gate  is  marked, 
"  Porte."  A  little  outside  the  gate,  and  on  the  Eastern  side 
of  the  present  Brook  Street,  is  marked,  "  Ye  new  Pounde," 
which  is  described  in  the  Report  as  "  A  very  faire  pounde 
of  sawn  oaken  tymber  of  40  foote  square,"  A  little  further 
on  is  marked,  "  fayre  mill  dam,  with  a  mill-house  for  three 
mills."  The  Report  is  more  explanatory.  It  says  :  A  myle 
dam  with  a  bancke  at  the  head  of  the  pond  of  300  foote 
longe  and  40  broade,  and  14  or  15  deepe,  with  2  very  fair 
fioudgates,  lyned  with  stronge  oaken  tymber  and  plankes. 
A  fayre  myle  house  of  25  foote  and  k  in  length  and  22 
foote  in  breadth,  of  one  storie  high,  with  a  dwellinge  house 
adjoyning,  with  a  bricke  chimney,  slated  and  finished. 
Three  myles  in  the  same  house,  one  for  wheat,  another  for 
malte,  the  3  for  a  tuckmyle."  The  river,  after  leaving  the 
mill,  was  crossed  by  a  bridge  of  very  high  arches,  which 
was  marked  on  the  map  "  Ye  oulde  Bridge,"  and  the  river 
is  marked,  "  Ye  brooke  that  comes  from  the  mill."  Such 
was  the  town  in  the  year  1611 . 

The  Corporation  of  Loudon  decreed,  that  a  company  should 
be  formed,  to  consist  of  a  governor,  deputy-governor,  and  24 
assistants  ;  the  recorder  to  be  one,  and  the  governor  and  five 
of  the  assistants  to  be  aldermen  ;  and  that  twelve  of  the 
company,  together  with  the  deputy-governor,  should  resign 
annually,  and  others  be  elected  in  their  stead.  Such  was  the 
origin  of  the  Irish    Society.     It   was  incorporated  by  letters 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  191 

patent,  March  29th,  1613,  and  its  first  governor  was 
William  Cockaine,  from  whom,  it  is  said,  the  soubriquet 
cockney  had  its  origin  ;  and  its  first  agents  were  Tristram 
Beresford  and  John  Kowlcy.  The  lands  were  sub-divided 
among  the  12  companies,  but  Alderman  Smithers  and  Mr. 
Mathias  Springham,  reported  to  the  Society  in  November 
1613 — "  With  respect  to  tlie  city  of  Londonderry  and  the 
town  of  Coleraine  with  the  territories,  ferries,  and  fishings 
belonging  to  the  same,  they  were  of  opinion  that  a  division 
could  not  be  fully  made  of  them,  but  that  the  rents  and 
profits  of  them  might  be  divided  amongst  the  companies." 
On  this  recommendation  they  were  retained  by  the  Irish 
Society,  which  was  to  account  for  them  to  the  12  chief 
companies.  Springham  and  Smithers  also  reported  that 
they  had  given  a  silver  gilt  communion  cup  to  the  Church 
of  Coleraine. 

The  King,  28th  June,  1613,  granted  a  charter  to  the  town 
of  Coleraine,  and  having  ascertained  that  his  intentions 
were  not  being  carried  out  by  the  Irish  Society,  he  wrote 
to  the  Lord  Deputy  Chichester  to  inquire  into  the  matter 
and  report  thereon.  Sir  Josias  Bodley  was  appointed  to 
inspect  the  works.  Sir  Josias  reported  most  unfavourably, 
and  the  King  issued  a  manifesto  threatening  to  seize  into 
his  hands  all  lands  in  which  the  terms  of  agreement  should 
not  be  performed  before  the  last  day  of  August,  1616.  In 
the  year  1615,  the  inhabitants  of  Coleraine  received  from 
the  London  companies  a  supply  of  arms,  ammunition,  and 
military  accoutrements,  and  in  the  following  year  they 
bestowed  a  gilt  sword  to  the  Mayor.  The  Londoners  seem 
to  have  systematically  violated  their  aarangements  with  the 
Government,  for  in  the  following  year,  Nicholas   Pynnar; 


192  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

who  succeeded  Bodley,  reported*  "  the  town  of  Coleraine  is 
at  the  same  state  it  was  at  the  last  surrey  ;  there  are  but 
thi-ee  houses  added  more  to  the  building,  which  are  done  by 
other  men  ;  only  the  city  hath  allowed  them  twenty  pounds 
a  piece  towards  their  building;  that  part  of  the  town,  which 
is  unbuilt,  is  so  extreme  dirty,  that  no  man  is  able  to  go  in 
it,  and  especially  that  which  should  and  is  accounted  to  be 
the  market  place,  The  walls  and  ramparts,  built  of  sods 
and  filled  with  earth,  do  begin  to  decay  very  much  and  to 
moulder  away,  for  the  ramparts  are  so  narrow  that  it  is 
impossible  they  should  stand,  and  the  bulwarks  are  so 
exceedingly  little,  that  there  cannot  be  placed  any  piece  of 
artillery,  if  occasion  were.  There  are  two  small  ports  which 
are  made  of  timber  and  boards,  and  they  serve  as  houses  for 
the  soldiers  to  watch  in.  This  town  is  so  poorly  inhabited, 
that  there  are  not  men  enough  to  man  the  sixth  part  of  the 
wall."  Pynnar  also  reports  of  the  Clothworkers'  property, 
"The  said  Sir  Robert  (Sir  Robert  MacLellan,)  hath  taken 
this  proportion  of  the  company  for  sixty-one  years,  and 
upon  this  there  is  a  castle  of  lime  and  stone  fifty-four  feet 
long,  thirty-four  feet  wide,  and  twenty-eight  feet  in  height ; 
but  this  is  not  as  yet  covered,  neither  any  Plantation  with 
British  tenants,  but  only  one  freeholder,  which  is  the  parson 
of  the  parish.  For  all  this  land  is  inhabited  with  Irish." 
In  the  Plantation,  each  party  intended  to  overreach  the 
other.  The  king  intended  that  the  companies  should  hold 
the  broad  acres  of  Ulster,  only  till  they  should  become 
valuable  in  their  hands,  when  he  expected  that  circum- 
stances would  give  him  some  pretext  for  seizing  them  into 
his  own  hands;  hence,  no  doubt,  all  the  Commissions  of 
*  Pynnor's  survey. 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  193 

Inquiry  issued  during  his  reign,  and  that  of  his  son,  who 
was  brought  to  the  block,  because  he  had  the  misfortune  to 
follow  the  example  his  father  had  set  him.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  companies  made  fine  promises,  which  they  never 
intended  to  fulfil.  As  we  see  above,  they  let  their  lands  to 
Irish,  because  it  was  attended  with  expense  to  import 
British  tenants.  Their  agents  took  care  of  themselves. 
Tristram  Beresford  is  ancestor  of  the  noble  family  of 
Waterford.  John  Rowley  and  his  descendants  located 
themselves  about  Moneymore,  and  Sir  Thomas  Philips 
obtained  Newtownliraavady  and  some  lauds  in  Magilligan.* 
In  1624,  a  commission  was  appointed  by  the  king  to  inquire 
into  the  defects  and  abuses  of  the  Londoners'  Plantation.! 
The  commissioners  set  down  twenty-three  articles,  which  the 
Londoners  were  to  perform,  under  the  directions  of  8ir 
Thomas  Philips.  These  articles  not  being  attended  to,  the 
Privy  Council  in  England  appointed  Sir  Thomas  Philips, 
September  30th,  1625,  to  receive  the  rents,  and  employ 
them  on  the  fortifications  of  Derry  and  Coleraine.  This 
sequestration  was  dissolved,  July  31st,  1627,  by  the  Lords 
in  England ;  nevertheless,  within  six  weeks  the  king  issued 
a  new  commission  "  to  inquire  concerning  the  plantation 
made  or  to  be  made,  &c.  ;"  §  and  May  3rd,  1628,  he  again 
sequestered  the  city  and  county  of  Londonderry,  and  had 
the  rents  collected  for  his  own  use.  This  sequestration  was 
set  aside  by  the  Lords  in  two  months.  The  whole  country 
was  again  sequestered  in  1632,  and  the  Bishop  of  Derry 
appointed  receiver  for  the  king.  In  the  year  1637,  the 
Lord  Chancellor,  judges,  &.C.,  gave  judgment  that  the  letters 

*  Pynnor's  survey,     t  Ordinance  Memoir  of  Derry. 

i  Ibid.         §  Ibid. 


194  DIOCESE   OF  CONNOR. 

patent  should  be  revoked,  cancelled,  and  made  void.  How- 
ever, in  1638,  his  Majesty  granted  a  pardon  to  the  companies, 
and  in  1641,  when  he  returned  from  Scotland,  the  city 
invited  him  to  a  dinner,  at  which  he  promised  that  his 
father's  grants  to  the  Society  should  be  restored.  He 
accordingly  gave  his  commands  for  restoring  all  their 
possessions  zo  the  Society  and  Companies,  but  on  account  of 
the  rebellion  which  then  broke  out,  his  Majesty's  intentions 
were  not  immediately  fulfilled.  The  Londoners  and  their 
tenants  were  well  aware  that  Wentworth  had  been  the 
principal  cause  of  all  these  vexatious  severities.  Seeing  the 
ardour  with  which  the  covenant  was  taken  in  Scotland,  he 
feared  that  the  Scots  would  introduce  it  among  their  country- 
men in  Ireland.  ^  On  this  account  he  commissioned  the 
Bishop  of  Down  to  persecute  the  Presbyterians  of  his 
diocese  in  so  cruel  a  manner  that  it  was  made  one  of  the 
principal  charges  against  him  on  his  trial.  Wentworth  saw 
the  precarious  state  of  Ulster,  and  in  November,  1638,  he 
wrote  to  the  king,  advising  him  to  have  a  garrison  of  500 
men  placed  in  Coleraine.  He  also  stated  that  the  Earl  of 
Antrim  had  written  to  him  to  have  a  magazine  kept  at 
Coleraine  ;  but  that  he  did  not  think  it  safe  to  have  arms  so 
near  the  Scotch  plantation,  "lest  if  their  countrymen  grow 
troublesome,  and  they  partake  of  the  contagion,  they  might 
chance  to  borrow  those  weapons  of  his  lordship,  for  a  longer 
time,  and  for  another  purpose  than  his  lordship  would  find 
cause  to  thank  them  for." 

The  great  war  of  1641,  broke  out  on  the  23rd  of  October, 
which  in  that  year  was  Saturday.  On  that  evening  the 
Irish  seized    Moneymore.      Mr.   William   Rowley   fled    to 

!|  Marmion's  History  of  Irish  Poets.     H  Reid's  Hist,  Presbyt. 


THE  PARISH  OP  COLERAINE.  195 

Coleraine,  where  lie  arrived  about  eight  o'clock  on  Sunday 
morning,  bringing  the  first  intelligence  of  the  sad  event. 
The  news  was  soon  confirmed  by  multitudes  of  people  who 
fled  to  the  town  for  protection  ;  terror  was  depicted  on  every 
face  ;  they  knew  that  the  Irish,  driven  to  the  bogs  and 
mountains,  and  oppressed  beyond  the  bounds  of  human 
endurance,  intended  to  render  void  the  sundry  charters 
and  letters  patent  by  which  the  lands  of  their  fathers  were 
held  for  the  last  thirty-two  or  three  years,  by  Scotch  and 
English  colonists,  and  to  drive  them  to  the  countries  whence 
they  came.  Coleraine  was  saved  by  the  timely  notice 
brought  by  William  Rowley,  and  its  inhabitants  were 
organised  for  its  defence,  by  Colonel  Edward  Rowley,  of 
Castleroe.  On  the  15th  of  November,  the  Irish  House  of 
Commons  was  informed  "  that  the  rebels  are  not  come  to 
Coleraine,  nor  within  six  or  seven  miles  of  it ;  that  the 
people  of  Coleraine,  some'200  in  number,  fought  with'lOOO  of 
the  rebels  and  slew  six  of  them,  and  not  one  of  themselves 
hurt." — Commons  Journals.  The  town  was  also  strengthened 
by  Archibald  Stewart,  Lord  Antrim's  agent,  who  had  raised 
a  regiment  of  six  companies.  On  Friday,  February  11th, 
1642,  an  army  of  600  Scots  and  300  English,  reinforced  by 
hundreds  of  the  townspeople,  marched  under  the  command 
of  Archibald  Stewart,  against  a  body  of  the  Irish,  under 
Alaster  M'Donnell.  They  encountered  the  Irish  Army  in 
the  vicinity  of  Ballymoney,  where  they  sustained  a  terrible 
defeat,  leaving  many  hundreds  dead  on  the  field  of  battle. 
The  account  of  this  fearful  carnage  on  "  the  Black  Friday  of 
Ballymoney  "  has  been  already  given  at  p.  125.  Coleraine 
was  now  hemmed  in  on  all  sides,  and  the  misfortunes  of  the 
town  were  aggravated  by  a  pestilential  fever,  which  swept 


196  DIOCESE   OP    CONNOR. 

away  innumerable  people,  so  that  one  writer  says  on  the 
authority  of  a  manuscript  in  the  possession  of  the  Moira 
family,  that  "  in  Coleraine  there  died  in  four  months  by 
computation,  6000."  Another  writer  more  modestl}'  says — 
"  in  four  months  there  died  one  hundred  a  week  constantly 
and  sometimes  one  hundred  and  twenty ....  so  that 
2000  died  in  a  short  space,"  Temple  quotes  from  the 
depositions  in  Trinity  College : — "  James  Redfern,  of  the 
County  of  Londonderry,  deposeth,  that  in  the  town  of 
Coleraine,  since  the  rebellion  began,  there  died  of  robbed  and 
stripped  people  that  fled  thither  for  succour,  many  hundreds, 
besides  those  of  the  town  who  had  anciently  dwelt  there, 
and  that  the  mortality  there  was  such,  and  so  great,  that 
many  thousands  died  there  in  two  days  ;  and  the  living, 
though  scarce  able  to  do  it,  laid  the  carcases  of  those  dead 
persons  in  great  ranks,  into  vast  and  wide  holes,  laying  them 
so  close  and  thick  as  if  they  had  packed  up  herrings  together"* 
The  reader  must  always  bear  in  mind  that  the  writers  of  that 
period  were  very  much  tinged  with  party  feeling,  and  facts 
are   so   far   distorted   by   them    that  they  can   only,   with 

*There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Irish  did  not  intend  such  a  fearful  loss 
of  life,  and  that  they  only  intended  to  re-ship  the  colonists  back  to 
Scotland.  James  M'Donnell  expressly  says  such  in  his  letter  to 
Archibal  Stewart  (see  p.  51).  "I  will  sende  for  all  the  Raghlin 
boates  to  Portrush,  and  from  thens  send  ill  the  people  away  into 
Scotlande."  To  our  minds  such  conduct  would  appear  at  first  sight 
extremely  cruel.  If  however  Queen  Victoria  had,  thirty  three  or  four 
years  ago,  driven  us  from  our  habitations  and  our  lands  to  mountains 
and  bogs,  and  oppressed  us  with  the  most  cruel  laws,  to  make  room 
for  a  people  from  another  country,  it  is  likely  that,  if  to-day  her 
power  was  weakened  and  an  opportunity  presented,  we  would  have 
little  scruples  in  repossessing  ourselves  of  our  lands,  and  sending  her 
colonists  to  their  own  country,  without  much  consideration  of  what 
hardships  they  might  he  subjected  to  in  the  transhipment. 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  197 

difficulty,  be  recognised  as  the  same  when  they  happen  to 
come  from  the  pens  of  persons  belonging  to  different  factions. 
Some  of  the  incidents  of  the  siege  are  related  in  the  exami- 
nation of  Donnell  Gorm  M'Donnell,  made  in  Coleraine,  in 
1652,  he  says  : — 

'•  The  Irish,  under  the  command  of  AUister  M'CoU  (MacDonnell), 
James  M 'Henry,  and  Toole  O'Hare,  routed  the  English  and  Scotch 
Forces,  and  killed  five  or  six  hundred  of  them  in  the  Layney  (near 
Ballymoney);  after  this  defeate,  James  M'Coll  M'Donnell,  AUester 
M'CoU  M'Donnell,  and  James  M 'Henry,  with  their  men  beleagured 
Coleraine,  and  Camped  at  Peter  Lowries'  and  the  Sterlins'  houses 
about  one  mile  and  a  half  from  Coleraine  ;  the  said  Allister  M'Coll 
sent  for  this  examinate  to  come  and  joyne  with  them,  and  bring  some 
men  with  them,  whereupon,  he,  the  Examinate,  went  thither,  and 
took  some  five  or  six  men  with  him  ;  he  had  no  command  there,  but 
staid  with  James  M'Coll  M'Donnell  (AUister  M'Coll,  who  sent  for 
him,  being  gone  into  the  Glenns  before  he  came),  and  with  James 
M 'Henry  and  the  rest  (he  doth  not  remember  who  then  were  there), 
about  four  or  five  dais  ;  during  his  being  there  he  saw  one  Donaghy 
M'Deltan  hang  a  Scotchman  upon  a  carr  at  Peter  Lowrie's  house 
end,  but,  by  what  order  or  wherefore  he  did  it,  he  knows  not ;  and 
he  was  then  about  to  hang  a  Scotch  boy,  called  George  Thomson, 
whom  this  Examinate  saved,  and  made  him  his  man,  and  gave  him 
his  own  cloake  and  targe  to  bear,  lest  any  of  the  Irish  should  do  him 
hurt  ;  at  his  return  home  he  took  the  same  George  Thomson  home 
with  him,  and  sett  him  to  worke.  Sometime  afterwards  he  came  to 
see  the  same  officers,  who  lay  at  Ballyrashane  to  besiege  Coleraine." 

On  the  arrival  of  the  Earl  of  Antrim  from  Dublin  he 
induced  the  besiegers  of  Coleraine  to  admit  supplies  which 
he  sent  into  the  town  (see  p.  38),  and  to  permit  the  towns- 
men to  graze  their  cattle  within  a  circuit  of  three  miles 
around  the  town. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Hill  says — "  On  this  occasion  Alaster 
MacCoU,  who  was  chief  in  command,  consented  so  to  relax 
the  severity  of  the  siege  that  the  inhabitants  not  only  got 
ample    space  for   themseWes   and    their   cattle,    but    were 


198  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

supplied  with  the  best  description  of  food — beef  and  oatmeal. 
Alaster  MacColl,  who  had  here  the  fate  of  so  many- 
Presbyterians  in  his  hands,  thus  dealt  with  them  very  much 
more  humanely  than  even  the  rulers  of  modern  warfare 
would  permit,  and  certainly  very  much  more  so  than  the 
Presbyterians  would  have  dealt  with  him  had  the  circum- 
stances been  reversed.  In  the  great  conflicts  between  the 
northei'n  and  southern  states  of  America,  or  between  the 
German  and  French  nations,  no  general  of  either  party 
could  have  dared  to  act  so  humanely  as  did  Alaster  MacColl 
at  Coleraine.  Grant  and  Lee,  Molke  and  Macmahon 
would  have  alike  required  an  unconditional  surrender  under 
the  circumstances,  at  any  expense  of  suffering  and  life. 
And  no  leader  opposed  to  Alaster  MacColl,  so  far  as  we  can 
judge  from  other  similar  occasions,  would  have  shown  one 
particle  of  charity  or  mercy  towards  himself  or  his  men. 
The  Presbyterians  were  taught  to  regard  him  and  his 
adherents  simply  as  the  enemies  of  God,  on  whom  it  would 
have  been  a  reproach  and  a  crime  to  have  had  mercy. 
They  would  have  gladly  hewed  him  in  pieces  had  they  got 
him  into  their  power,  even  as  Samuel  hewed  to  pieces 
Agag,  when  he  rebuked  Saul  for  sparing  the  King  of  the 
Amalekites." — The  MacDonnells  of  Antrim,  p.  72. 

The  king  reluctantly  consented  to  receive  the  aid  of 
10,000  men,  which  the  Scottish  parliament  had  voted  for 
the  pacification  of  Ulster,  and  on  the  8th  of  February  he 
issued  *  *  his  commission  for  their  transportation.  2,500 
were  in  the  first  iustance  to  occupy  Carrickfergus,  and  the 
remainder  were  to  be  put  in  possession  of  the  town  and 
castle  of  Coleraine.  f  f     The  command  was  given  to  Major- 

•  *  Rymer. 

+  +  Euahworth. 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  199 

General  Robert  Munro — an  officer  of  great  military  skill.* 
The  situation  of  Coleraine  and  other  British  garrisons  in 
this  part  was  now  extremely  critical.  Colonel  Audley 
Mervyn  has  left  an  account  of  tlie  relief  of  Coleraine  in  the 

*0n  the  arrival  of  Major-General  Munro  at  the  head  of  2,500  Scotch 
troops,  in  the  month  of  April,  1642,  Alaster  M'CoU  led  his  troops 
over  the  Bann,  to  strengthen  the  army  of  Sir  Phelim  O'Neill,  and 
under  that  general  he  took  part,  on  the  16th  of  June,  1642  in  the 
disastrous  battle  of  Glenmaquin,  nearRaphoe,  where  he  was  severely 
wounded.  He  recovered^  under  the  care  which  he  received  in  the 
house  of  a  priest,  named  O'Crilly,  and  on  the  27th  of  June,  1644> 
sailed  from  Passage  as  commander-in-chief  of  three  regiments,  mostly 
of  Antrim  men,  which  Lord  Antrim  raised  to  assist  the  Royalists  in 
Scotland.  These  regiments  were  commanded  by  JameS|M'DonneU, 
Randal  Oge  M'Donnell,  and  Manus  O'Cathan  or  O'Kane.  The 
little  army  destined  to  perform  such  brilliant  exploits  disembarked 
at  Ardnamurchan,  and  seized  on  the  castles  of  Mingarrie  and 
Lochaiine,  in  which  M'Donnel  placed  garrisons  that  afterwards  exer- 
cised an  important  influence  on  the  progress  of  the  war.  He  next 
wasted  northern  Argyleshire  and  penetrated  to  Badenoch,  where 
Montrose,  the  King's  Lieutenant,  sent  a  message  directing  him  to 
meet  him  at  Blair  Athol.  Hither  M'Donnell  fought  his  way,  and  the 
royal  standard  was  planted  by  Montrose,  near  the  castle  of  Blair, 
amid  the  cheers  of  the  men  of  Badenoch,  and  Athol,  and  Antrim. 
The  Irish  troops,  according  to  Napier,  numbered  about  1,200,  and 
were  armed  with  "  rusty  matchlocks  to  which  the  oldest  brown  bess 
now  on  her  death-bed  in  Britain,  would  be  a  beauty ;"  but  many  of 
them  bore  trusty  pikes  on  which  they  could  place  more  reliance. 
The  united  forces  marched  southwards  towards  Perth  ;  and  on  the 
field  of  Tippermuir,  two  miles  from  the  city,  they  encountered  one  of 
the  armies  of  the  covenant,  consisting  of  8,000  foot,  800  horse,  and 
9  pieces  of  artillery.  The  covenanting  battle-cry  at  Tippermuir  was 
"Jesus  and  no  quarter"!  Among  the  Carte  Manuscripts  in  the 
Bodleian  Library,  Oxford,  there^is  a  paper  written  by  Colonel  James 
M'Donnell,  who  commanded  one  of  Alaster's  regiments,  it  was 
written  in  Inverlochy,  on  the  7th  of  February,  1644  (1645)  to  be 
presented  to  Ormonde,  the  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland.  Of  the 
battle  of  Tippermuir  it  says — ^"  Although  the  battle  continued  for 
some  space  we  lost  not  one  man  on  our  side,  yet  still  advanced,  the 


200  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOE. 

month  of  May,  in  which  he  says — "  Having  received  late 
letters  from  Coleraine  of  their  miserable  wants  and  narrow- 
beleaguer,  we  continued  our  march  towards  the  mountains 
that    we    might    find   some    prey,    that   we    might    be    the 

enemy  being  three  or  four  to  one  ;  howsoever  God  gave  us  the  day  ; 
the  enemy  retreating  with  their  backs  towards  us,  that  men  might 
have  walked  on  dead  corps  to  the  town,  being  two  miles  long  from 
the  place  where  the  battle  was  pitched.  The  chase  continued  from 
8  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  9  at  night  ;  all  their  cannon,  arms* 
ammunition,  colours,  drums,  tents,  baggage,  in  a  word,  none  of 
themselves  or  baggage  escaped  our  hands,  but  their  horse  and  such 
of  their  foot  as  were  taken  within  the  city.  This  battle,  to  God's 
glory  and  our  prince's  good,  was  fought  on  the  1st  day  of  September 
(1644).  From  thence  we  marched  straight  to  Aberdeen,  only  sur- 
prising such  as  withstood  us,  with  little  or  no  skirmishing  till  the 
I3th  of  the  same  month  ;  the  covenanters  of  the  north  had  gathered 
themselves  together  to  the  number  of  3,000  foot  and  500  horse,  with 
3  pieces  of  cannon.  We  had  then  about  80  horse  ,  the  battle  being 
fairly  pitched,  it  continued  for  a  long  space,  and  the  enemy  behaved 
themselves  far  better  than  they  did  at  St.  Johnston  (Perth),  and  yet 
we  lost  not  that  day  above  4,  but  the  enemy  were  altogether  cut  off, 
unless  some  few  that  hid  themselves  in  the  city.  The  riches  of  that 
town  and  the  riches  they  got  before,  hath  made  all  our  soldiers 
cavaliers  .  .  .  After  this  battle  we  marched  towards  the  high- 
lands again,  so  far  as  Castle  Blair,  where  I  was  sent  to  Ardna- 
muragh  (Ardnamurchan)  with  a  party  to  relieve  the  Castle  of 
Megary  (Mengarrie)  and  the  Castle  of  Loughlaine.  Megarry  having 
a  leaguer  about  it,  which  was  raised  two  or  three  days  before  I 
could  come  to  them  ;  at  which  time  the  Captain  of  Clanrouald  with 
all  his  men  joined  with  Glencoe  men,  and  others  who  had  an  in- 
clination to  his  majesty's  service.  In  the  meantime  when  1  was 
interested  in  the  service,  the  Marquis  of  Montrose  marched  back  to 
the  lowlands,  almost  the  same  way  he  marched  before,  till  they 
came  to  a  place  called  Fivy  in  the  shire  of  Aberdeen,  where  Argyle 
was  most  shamefully  beaten  out  of  the  field  ;  and  had  it  not  been  for 
his  horse,  they  had  suffered  as  deeply  as  the  rest ;  so  that  there  was 
not  on  our  side  any  hurt  done,  but  on  their  side  they  lost  many  of 
their  best  horse,  and  most  of  all  their  commanders  hurt,  and  the 
Earl  Mareschal's  brother  killed.  After  the  armies  separated  the 
lord  marquis  marched  again  to  Castle  Blaire  in  Athol,  where  I  again 


THIi  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  201 

welcomer  to  almost  famished  Coleraine."  After  they  had 
succeeded  in  recovering  some  things  that  had  been  carried 
oflf  from  about  the  town,  they  marched  to  Coleraine. 
"  Every  regiment,"  says  he  *^  bestowed  some  of  the  plunder 

met  with  him  and  such  of  the  highlands  as  had  joined  with  me  ;  the 
dayof  Fivy  was  on  October  2Sth,  (1644).  From  Castle  Blaire  we 
marched  to  Glanurghys,  called  M'Callan  and  M'Conaghy  ;  all  which 
lands  we  burned,  and  preyed  from  thence  to  Lares  alias  Laufers 
(Lawers),  and  burned  and  preyed  all  this  country  from  thence  to 
Achenbracke's,  whose  land  and  country  were  burned  and  preyed  ; 
and  so  throughout  all  Argyle  we  left  neither  house  nor  hold  un- 
burned,  nor  corn  nor  cattle  that  belonged  to  the  whole  name  of 
Campbell.  Such  of  his  majesty's  friends  as  lived  near  them  joined 
with  us.  We  then  marched  to  Lochaber,  where  M'Alane  (Maclean) 
came  and  joined  us,  but  had  but  few  of  his  men  with  him.  From 
thence  we  marched  to  Glengarry,  where  the  Lord  of  Glengarry 
joined  with  us.  At  this  place  we  got  intelligance  that  Argyle, 
Achenbracke,  and  the  whole  name  of  Campbell,  with  all  their  forces 
and  a  great  number  of  lowland  men  with  them,  were  come  to 
Inverloughy  in  Loughaber  following  us.  This  caused  us  to  make  a 
countermarch  the  nearest  way  over  the  mountains,  till  we  came  with- 
in musket-shot  of  the  Castle  of  Inverloughy,  it  then  being  night,  so 
that  the  enemy  stood  to  their  arms  all  night,  the  sentries  skirmishing 
together.  By  this  place  of  Inverloughy  the  sea  comes  close,  and 
that  night  Argyle  embarked  himself  in  his  barge  and  there  lay  till 
the  next  morning,  sending  his  orders  of  discipline  to  Achenbracke 
and  the  rest  of  the  officers  there  commanding  the  battle,  which  on 
all  sides  being  pitched  and  their  cannon  planted,  the  fight  began  ; 
the  enemy  givmg  fire  on  us  on  both  sides,  both  with  cannon  and 
muskets  to  their  like  avail.  For  only  two  regiments  of  our  army 
playing  with  musket-shot,  advanced  till  they  recovered  Argyle's 
standard  and  standard-bearer,  at  which  the  whole  army  broke, 
which  were  so  hotly  pursued  both  with  foot  and  horse,  that  little  or 
none  of  the  whole  army  escaped  us,  the  officers  being  the  first  that 
were  cut  off'.  There  Achenbrack  was  killed  with  16  or  17  of  the 
chief  lords  of  Campbell ;  their  other  lowland  commanders,  (only) 
two  lieutenant-colonels,  all  cut  off.  Four  others  of  the  name  of 
Campbell's  were  taken  prisoners,  as  Bearbrick,  the  young  laird  of 
Carrindel,  luverleen  Captain,'  son  of  Enistinth,  and  divers  others 


202  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

on  the  town,  the  soldiers,  at  easy  rates,  sold  the  rest,  but 
such  as  was  delivered  to  their  owners.  At  Castleroe,  a 
mile  from  Coleraine,  were  lodged  seven  colours  of  the  enemy, 
to  secure  the   Bann  fishing  to   themselves.       We  took  the 

that  got  quarter,  being  men  of  quality,  We  lost  but  two  or  three 
that  day;  this  battle  was  fought  on  the  2nd  of  February,  (1645). 

This  great  victory  was  celebrated  by  the  Gaelic  bard,  John  Lom 
M'Donnell ;  the  following  is  from  the  translation  of  M'Donnell's 
poem,  on  the  battle  of  Inverlochy,  printed  in  Napier's  Memoirs  of 
Montrose  : — 

Heard  ye  not !  Heard  ye  not  !  How  that  whirlwind,  the  Gael— 

To  Lochaber  swept  down  from  Loch  Ness  to  Loch  Eil, 

And  the  Campbells,  to  meet  them  in  battle  array, 

Like  the  billows  came  on— and  were  broke  like  its  spray  ! 

Long,  long,  shall  our  war  songs  exult  in  that  day. 

Fallen  race  of  Diarmid  !  Disloyal — untrue, 

No  harp  in  the  Highlands  will  sorrow  for  you  ; 

But  the  birds  of  Loch  Eil  are  wheeling  on  high. 

And  the  Badenoch  wolves  hear  the  Cameron's  cry — 

'  Come  feast  ye,  come  feast  where  the  false-hearted  lie. ' 

Towards  the  end  of  March,  Montrose  recrossed  the  Grampians,  and 
under  his  orders  Dundee  was  attacked  and  stormed  by  Alaster 
M'Donnell  and  Lord  George  Gordon.  At  the  battle  fought  on  the 
9th  of  May,  1645,  at  the  village  of  Aulderan,  near  the  town  of  Nairn 
Montrose  entrusted  the  royal  standard  to  the  keeping  of  Alaster  ;  and 
well  he  kept  it,  as  is  shown  in  the  following  extract  from  Napier's 
Memoirs  of  Montrose  : — "  Upon  this  occasion  it  was  the  son  of  Coll 
Kitache  chiefly  distinguished  himself  by  his  undaunted  bearing  and 
great  personal  powers.  As  he  had  been  the  first  to  advance,  so  he 
was  among  the  very  last  to  seek  the  garden  into  which  they  were 
now  returning,  and  frequently  checked  with  his  single  hand  the  ad- 
vancing enemy,  whose  pikes  and  arrows  most  severally  galled  the 
retreating  infantry.  The  pikemen  were  so  close  upon  him  as  to  fix 
their  spears  in  his  target,  which  he  cut  off  with  his  broad  sword  in 
groups  at  a  stroke.  Thus  fighting  like  a  lion  in  the  rear  of  his 
troops,  he  gained  the  approach  to  the  garden,  accompanied  by  a  few 


THE    PARISH    OF   COLERAINE.  203 

colours,  put  many  to  the  sword,  and  the  town  of  Coleraine 
hatli  a  garrison  there  now,  and  enjoys  the  fishing  to  them- 
selves, being  the  greatest  salmon  fishing  in  Christendom." 
This  prosperous  state  of  things  did  not  last  long,  for  in 

friends,  who  wished  him  to  enter  before  them.  At  this  moment  his 
sword  broke,  Davidson  of  Ardnacross,  his  brother-in-law,  handed 
him  his  own,  and  whilst  in  the  act  of  doing  so  fell  mortally  wounded. 
MacDonald  having  entered  alone  with  some  of  the  enemy  attacked 
them  furiously,  in  order  to  clear  the  way  for  those  who  were  still 
struggling  without  -  .  .  Seventeen  of  Alaster's  officers  and 
veterans  lay  wounded  within  the  enclosure,  and  many  of  the  Gordons 
were  slain.  But  the  royal  standard  was  safe  ;  and  with  this  and  the 
remnant  of  his  troops  the  herculean  Islesman  again  rushed  out  and 
attacked  the  regiment  of  Lawers  on  the  opposite  flank.  Many  were 
the  warlike  deeds  performed  that  day  by  the  MacDonalds  and  the 
Gordons.  Many  were  the  wounds  given  and  received  by  them, 
insomuch  that  Montrose  said  afber  the  battle  that  he  himself 
witnessed  the  greatest  feats  of  arms  and  the  greatest  slaughter 
he  ever  knew  performed  by  a  couple  of  men.  namely,  Nathaniel 
Gordon  and  Ronald  Og  MacDonald,  son  of  Alaster,  son  of  Angus 
Uaibrach."  This  Antrim  officer  was  the  grandson  of  Angus 
Uaibhreaoh,  or  'the  contentious,'  brother  of  Sorley  Boy  M'Donnell. 
Three  thousand  Covenanters  fell  in  the  terrible  Held  of  Auldearn, 
and  the  great  victory  left  the  royalists  masters  of  the  North  and 
West  of  Scotland,  and  yet  another  victory  was  to  crown  the  arras  of 
Montrose  and  M'Donnell.  The  skill  of  the  former,  and  the  gallantry 
of  M'Donnell  and  his  Irish,  gained,  on  the  16th  of  August,  1645,  the 
battle  of  Kilsyth,  when  the  covenanters  were  scattered  like  chaff 
before  the  wind,  leaving,  it  is  estimated  six  thousand  on  the  ground. 
On  the  3rd  of  September,  Montrose,  now  Lieutenant-Governor  and 
Captain-General  of  the  Kingdom,  conferred  in  the  presence  of  the 
whole  army,  at  Bothwell,  the  honour  of  knighthood  upon  his  brave 
Major-General.  Sir  Alaster  or  Alexander  M'Donnell  immediately 
afterwards  left  for  Argyleshire  to  protect  his  friends,  for  the  coven- 
anters treated  his  people  with  frightful  severity,  slaying  even 
nurslings  at  the  breast.  In  vain  Montrose  strove  to  retain  him  ;  he 
replied  that  he  would  be  no  true  Highlander  if  he  preferred  even  the 
king's  cause  to  that  of  his  own  blood  and  kindred.  They  parted, 
never  again  to  meet,  but  he  left  behind  him  with  Montrose  700  Irish 


204  DIOCESE    OP   CONNOR. 

April,  1643,  the  town  sent  a  letter  to  the  Lord  Justices 
complaining  of  their  lamentable  condition.  Towards  the 
end  of  that  year,  the  English  Parliament  requested  the 
Scottish   Commissioners  to    take  steps   that   the  covenant 

Infantry.  This  small  party  was  surprised  during  a  dense  fog  at 
Philiphaugh,  near  Selkirk,  on  the  13tli  of  September,  and  after 
lighting  while  there  was  any  hope,  surrendered  on  promise  of  quarter, 
which  was  shamefully  violated,  and  they,  and  their  wives  and 
children  were  cruelly  butchered  to  appease  the  covenanting  wrath. 
A  brave  Antrim  man  cutting  the  royal  standard  from  its  staff, 
wrapped  it  round  his  body,  and  with  sword  in  hand  burst  through 
the  masses  of  his  enemies  and  carried  it  to  Montrose.  Patrick  Gordon 
of  Ruthven,  in  liis  manuscript  history,  Britain's  Distemper,  describes 
the  appalling  murder  of  three  hundred  Irishwomen — "  They  ript  up 
the  bellies  of  the  women  with  their  swords,  till  the  fruit  of  their 
wombs  ;  some  in  embryo,  some  perfectly  formed,  some  crawling  for 
life,  and  some  ready  for  birth,  fell  down  upon  the  ground  weltering 
in  the  gory  blood  of  their  mangled  mothers."  "  The  horror  of  such  a 
scene,"  says  Mr.  Hill,  "  was  sure  rendered  still  more  horrible  by  the 
fact  as  recorded  by  Guthrie,  that  the  covenant  preachers  were  the 
principal  instifjators. "  Sir  Alaster  made  his  last  stand  in  Scotland 
against  the  enemies  of  his  king  in  Cantire,  but  feeling  that  he  could 
not  hope  for  success  by  opposition,  or  for  mercy  by  submission,  he 
passed  over  into  Ireland.  The  little  force  left  in  Cantire.  consisting 
principally  of  MacDougalls  and  soldiers  from  Antrim,  shut  themselves 
up  in  the  fortress  of  Dunavertie,  where  they  were  soon  forced  to 
capitulate  to  David  Leslie —  a  capitulation  that  was  only  made  to  be 
broken.  Guthrie  says,  "  Having  surrendered  their  arms,  the  Marquis 
of  Argyle,  and  a  bloody  preacher,  Mr.  John  Nevoy,  prevailed  with 
him  (Leslie),  to  break  his  word  ;  and  so  the  army  was  let  loose  upon 
them  and  killed  them  all  without  mercy ;  whereat  David  Leslie 
seemed  to  have  some  inward  check,  for  while  the  Marquis  and  he 
with  Mr.  Nevoy  were  walking  over  the  ankles  in  blood,  he  turned 
about  and  said — "Now  Mass  John,  have  you  not, /o?' o?iC(?  gotten 
your  fill  of  blood."  This  was  reported  by  many  who  heard  it. — See 
Memoirs  of  Montrose,    Vol.   II. 

Those  desirous  of  knowing  more  of  the  daring  achievements  of 
that  gallant  band  of  Antrim  men,  may  consult  Mr.  Hill's 
MacDonnells  of  A  ntrim.    A  fresco  picture  in  one  of  the  corridors  of  the 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  205 

"  be  taken  by  all  the  officers,  soldiers,  and  Protestants  of 
their  nation  in  Ireland."  The  Commissioners,  the  Rev. 
William  Adare,  and  the  Rev.  John  Weir,  who  had  been 
appointed  to  administer   the   covenant,  arrived  in  Coleraine 

House  of  Commons,  presents  the  grim  visage  of  Gillespie  Grumach, 
Marquis  of  Argyle — that  inhuman  and  bloody  rebel  !— but.  for  what 
reason  it  is  hard  to  say,  most  of  the  monuments  in  St.  Stephen's  com- 
memorate rebels.  The  name  and  fame  of  the  brave  M  'Donnell  require 
no  monument.  "Numerous  traditions,"  says  Sir  Walter  Scott — 
Legend  of  Montrose — "are  still  preserved  in  the  Highland  glens, 
concerning  Alaster  M 'Donnell,  though  the  name  of  Montrose  is 
rarely  mentioned  among  them."  His  military  celebrity  made  his 
name  familiar  to  London  ears.     Milton  in  one  of  his  sonnets,  says  :-  - 

Why  is  it  harder,  sirs,  than  Gordon, 

Colkitto,  or  M 'Donnell,  or  Gillasp. 

These  rugged  names  to  our  mouths  grow  sleek, 

That  would  have  made  Quintilian  stare  and  gasp. 

On  Sir  Alaster's  return  to  Ireland  he  was  soon  appointed  lieutenant- 
general  of  Munster  under  Lord  Taafe.  He  was  murdered  by  an 
officer  in  cold  blood  after  he  had  received  quarter.  This  was  in  the 
battle  fought  at  Knockanoss,  between  Mallow  and  Kanturk,  on  the 
13th  of  November,  1647.  The  Officer  in  Sir  John  Clotworthy's 
Regiment  has  the  following  reference  to  Sir  Alaster's  death — "And 
MacDonal  himself  going  off  two  or  three  miles,  got  quarters,  and  all 
those  men  who  stuck  to  him,  from  a  coronet  of  horse,  called  O'Grady, 
at  which  time  comes  up  one  Major  Purdon,  afterwards  baronetted, 
and  demanded  who  it  was  he  gave  quarters  to.  On  which  he  told 
him  ;  on  which  Purdon  was  in  a  fury  and  shot  MacDonal  in  the 
head,  being  the  other's  prisoner,  and  so  MacDonal  was  lost.  In 
revenge  for  which  the  coronet  for  seven  years  fought  Pardon  every 
year,  but  most  commonly  got  the  worst,  which  was  the  more  pity." 
It  is  said  that  his  sword,  which  had  a  steel  apple  running  on  a  groove 
along  the  back,  is  preserved  in  Loughan  Castle,  county  Tipperary. 
His  name  is  associated  in  the  traditions  of  the  Irish  peasantry, 
with  the  well  -  known  piece  of  popular  music,  called  from 
him  Marshall  Alastra'nn,  or  "Alaster's  March."  Sir  Alaster's 
grandson  was  Alexander  of  Kilmore  in  Glenariff,  of  whom  the  late 


206  DIOCESE   OP    CONNOR. 

from  Balljmena,  Wednesday,  April  18th,  guarded  by  a 
troop  of  horse.*  Next  day  they  expounded  the  covenant 
in  the  Church  to  the  soldiers  and  others.  On  Sunday,  the 
minister  of  the  church,  "  Master  Yesey"t  and  the  garrison 
took  the  covenant,  and  shortly  afterwards  the  mayor  and 
townspeople  followed  their  example,  though  they  were 
earnestly  dissuaded  by  the  Governor  of  Derry,  by  Sir 
Robert  Stewart  and  other  influential  persons.  Sir  Kobert 
Stewart  and  Major-General  Munro  took  the  covenant  in 
Coleraine,  when  the  Commissioners  returned  from  Derry 
and  Donegall, 

In  1646,  the  great  battle  of  Benburb  was  lost  by  Major- 
General  Munro,  principally  through  the  bungling  miscon- 
duct of  Colonel   Munro,  who  did  not  arrive  at  the  proper 

Dr.  M'Donnell  of  Belfast  was  a  grandson,  and  another  grandson  was 
Randal  M'Donnell,  the  father  of  the  present  ColonelJohn  M'Donnell 
of  Kilmore,  who,  in  1870,  married  Madeline,  daughter  of  Lord 
O'Hagan. 

*  Adam's  MS.  ex  Reid. 

tThe  above-mentioned  "  Master  Vesey"  was  an  important  person- 
age in  those  days.  He  seems  to  be  a  man  of  no  principles,  if  we 
except  those  of  the  "  Vicar  of  Bray."  He  was  determined  to  belong 
to  the  most  profitable  religion,  be  that  what  it  might.  He  was 
formerly  rector  of  BallyscuUion,  and  afterwards  of  Strabane.  By 
some  means  he  got  possession  of  the  rectory  of  Coleraine,  took  the 
"  black  oath,"  then  took  the  covenant,  "  did  solmenly  acknowledge 
the  sin  of  the  black  oath,  and  the  cursed  course  of  conformity  with 
former  times,"  established  a  presbytery  for  himself  and  few  others 
in  the  Route,  was  pardoned  by  the  presbytery  "  on  his  declared 
repentance,"  received  from  Cromwell  a  pension  of  £100,  betrayed 
the  secret  consultations  of  the  ministers  concerning  a  renewal  of  the 
covenant,  and  became  again  Episcopalian  rector  of  Coleraine,  when 
after  the  Restoration  it  was  more  profitable  and  safer  to  be  such. 


THE  PARISH  OP  COLERAINE.  207 

time  with  some  troops  from  Coleraine.  This  Colonel 
George  is  called  by  some  a  nephew  of  the  Major-General. 
It  is  at  least  certain  that  he  was  his  son-in-law,  as  appears 
by  Colonel  George's  wife's  monument  in  the  church  of 
Coleraine.  When  Ormond  was  besieged  in  Dublin  by 
Owen  Roe  O'Neill,  he  sent  Colonel  Arthur  Chichester  to 
apprise  the  Scotch  forces  in  Ulster  of  his  hazardous  position. 
The  Scottish  officers  replied  to  him  from  Coleraine,  and 
sent  William  Cunningham  to  Dublin,  "  to  know  how  his 
services  may  be  best  advanced."  In  1648,  the  English 
Parliamant  was  highly  offended  because  some  troops,  under 
Colonel  George  Munro,  had  assisted  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 
in  his  ill-fated  expedition  against  England.  Monk,  their 
general  in  Ulster,  in  order  to  please  them,  made  himself 
master  of  Carrickfergus,  Belfast,  and  Coleraine.  The  latter 
town  soon  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Covenanters,  who 
placed  it  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Conway.  The 
younger  Munro  having  accepted  a  royal  commission  was 
made  Governor  of  Coleraine,  which  he  held  till  dispossessed 
by  Sir  Charles  Coote,  who  seized  the  town  for  the  Republi 
cans  in  October,  1649.  In  1653,  commissioners — appointed 
by  the  parliament  to  try  all  those  who  had  been  guilty  of 
any  of  the  murders  which  so  disgraced  this  war — sat  at 
Coleraine  in  the  month  of  March.  Cromwell's  government 
paid  to  a  school  in  Coleraine  =£40 — fully  equal  to  £400  at 
the  present  day.  In  1650,  Cromwell  confirmed  the  Irish 
Society  in  the  same  rights  which  they  enjoyed  under  the 
letters  patent  of  James  1. 

In  or  about  1656,  the  Quakers  attempted  to  convert  the 
town  of  Coleraine.  Two  of  their  missionaries,  William 
Edmiston  and  Richard  Clayton  came  to  it,  but  they  did  not 


208  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

succeed  well,  as  is  told  in  their  own  curious  memoir — "  "We 
published  the  day  of  the  Lord  in  Coleraine  in  the  street, 
warning  all  to  repent;  we  put  up  several  little  papers 
which  we  had  written  in  several  places  ;  one  we  put  on  the 
worship  -  house  door ;  but  the  professors  were  highly 
offended,  took  and  banished  us  over  the  water,  giving 
charge  that  no  boat  should  bring  us  back."  In  June,  1657, 
Colonel  Cooper,  the  Cromwellian  Governor  of  Carrickfergus, 
succeeded  in  getting  an  order  preventing  any  Presbyterian 
minister  from  being  allowed  to  remain  in  Coleraine. 
"  Master  Vesey,"  of  course,  was  not  included  in  this  order, 
as  he  was  now  an  Independent.  After  the  Restoration,  the 
Established  Church  in  this  part  of  the  country  resumed  its 
ascendency  with  a  vengence.  In  the  Journal  of  the  House 
of  Lords,  29th  July,  1661,  there  is  the  following  entry : — 
"  Ordered,  that  Mr.  Boyd,  of  Aghadowey,  for  holding  a 
conventicle  at  Desertoel,  in  the  County  of  Derry,  contrary 
to  the  declaration  of  this  house,  be  examined  by  the  judges 
of  assize  who  ride  that  circuit,  who  are  to  proceed  against  him 
according  to  the  nature  of  his  offence."  Again,  June  11th, 
Mr,  Kerr  (minister)  of  Ballymoney,  on  the  motion  of  the 
Bishop  of  Raphoe,  is  ordered  to  appear  before  the  house. 

On  the  Restoration  the  London  Companies  received  a  new 
charter,  dated  April  10,  1662,  under  which  the  Irish  Society 
acts  at  the  present  day.  The  customs,  tonnage,  and  pound- 
age of  the  ports  of  Derry  and  Coleraine  were  granted  to  the 
Society,  but  it  was  found  prejudicial  to  the  rights  of  the 
Crown  to  carry  this  privilege  into  effect,  and  it  was  sold  to 
the  Crown    for  £6,000,    of  which  £2,000  was  then  paid. 

About  this  period,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  coj^per  coins, 
several  merchants  of  Coleraine  issued    Tokens      Seven  of 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  209 

these  are  known  to  collectors.  (1)  Alexander  .  Miller* 
In  .  .  .  Coleraine  .  .  Marchant  .  ,  1665.  (2)  Gilbert 
....  *  M  ...  .  RANE  . .  Mar  .  .  (3)  Hugh  .  .  M  .  .  . 
Mar  .  .  *  In  Col  ...  (4)  John  Browne  *  Colrene  . 
Mar  ...     (5)  John  Browne  March*    *  In  .  .  Coleraine. 

(6)  WiL  .  Rose  ,  of  .  Colraine  *  Exchange  for  A  .  Can. 

(7)  WiLm  Rose  .  of  .  Colraine  *  His  Exchange  .  for  .  A 
Can.  On  one  side  of  Rose's  tokens  there  is  a  Hose  and  on 
the  other  a  £ear.  The  J^osa  was  intended  to  symbolise 
himself,  and  the  Bear  his  can  of  beer. 

In  1685,  a  "  quo  warranto"  was  issued  against  the  Corpor- 
ation of  Coleraine.  In  the  same  year  the  site  of  the  citadel 
of  Coleraine  was  let  to  improving  tenants.  In  1689,  when 
General  Richard  Hamilton  had  driven  the  adherents  of  the 
Prince  of  Orange  from  Lisburn,  Belfast,  and  Antrim,  he 
advanced  to  lay  siege  to  Coleraine.  Thither  numerous 
gentlemen  and  soldiers,  to  the  number  of  4,000  crowded  for 
refuge,  with  a  resolution  to  defend  themselves  to  the 
last.  This  was  on  the  15th  of  March.  On  the  next  day 
several  of  the  English  officers  proceeded  towards  Deny  to 
consult  with  Colonel  Lundy.  They  met  Lundyand  Colonel 
Gustavus  Hamilton  about  two  miles  from  Newtownlimavady, 
and  returned  with  them  to  Coleraine.  The  same  day  Lord 
Blaney  arrived  with  a  reinforcement  of  300  or  400  horse, 
and  as  many  foot.  Lundy  said  all  he  could  to  dissuade  and 
dishearten  the  garrison  from  resistance.  As  matters  stood 
discouragement  may  have  had  some  foundation  ;  the  ram- 
parts were  everywhere  dilapidated,  and  the  broken  walls 
were  hastly  built  up  with  sods.  Lundy  told  them  that  his 
stores  were  insufficient  for  the  defence  of  Londonderry,  and 
advised  them  to  quit  the  town   as   soon  as  an  attack  should 

o 


210  DIOCESE   OP    CONNOR. 

he  made.  The  uniform  tenor  of  his  conduct  had  been  such 
as  to  awaken  a  general  distrust,  and  such  on  that  occasion, 
was  his  entire  deportment,  that  when  he  went  out  of  the 
gate  for  the  purpose  of  taking  a  view  of  town,  the  guard, 
thinking  he  was  leaving  them,  drew  up  the  bridge,  and 
levelled  their  muskets  and  pikes  at  him.  They  then  called 
a  council,  and  resolved  to  commit  the  command  of  the  town 
and  forces  there  collected  to  Colonel  Gustavus  Hamilton, 
who  was  afterwards  created  Viscount  Boyne.  On  the  ItSth 
of  March,  Lundy  succeeded  in  leaving  Coleraine,  having 
first  placed  Colonel  Whitney  with  a  guard  at  Ihe  bridge,  to 
prevent  the  inhabitants  offering  any  hindrance  to  him.  A 
report  had  been  circulated  to  the  effect,  that  if  the  people  of 
Coleraine  should  be  driven  out,  they  would  not  be  received 
at  Dei-ry.  A  council  being  called  at  the  latter  city,  gave 
this  a  direct  contradiction,  and  declared  their  determination 
to  stand  or  fall  with  their  friends  in  Coleraine.  Lieutenant" 
General  Richard  Hamilton,  the  commander  of  the  Irish 
army  encamped  at  Ballymoney,  where  he  remained  three 
days  to  refresh  his  troops  after  their  long  march.  He  then 
examined  the  situation  and  strength  of  Coleraine,  which,  in 
those  days,  according  to  M'Geohegan,  was  strongly  fortified. 
On  the  next  day  a  strong  body  sallied  forth  to  make  booty 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  his  camp,  but  they  were  driven 
back  by  his  cavalry.  Sunday,  the  24th,  Colonel  Gustavus 
Hamilton,  the  commander  of  Coleraine,  having  called  a 
council  of  war,  and  represented  to  the  officers  that  want  of 
ammunition  would  make  them  an  easy  conquest,  recom- 
mended them  to  quit  the  place  and  retire  to  Derry.  Some 
squadrons  of  the  Irish  horse  appeai-ed  at  that  very  moment 
a  little  below  the  town,  which  cut  short  further  consideration 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE  211 

as  to  the  course  they  should  pursue.       The  cavalry  were 
forced  to  retire  by  some  straggling  shots  from  the  wall.     On 
Monday,  March  25th,  about  midnight,  a  fire  broke  out  near 
the  magazine,  which   created  a  suspicion  of  treachery.     On 
the  morning  of  the  27th^  the  main  body  of  General  Richard 
Hamilton's  army  appeared  before  the  town,  and  made  their 
way  to  within  fifty  yards  of  the  walls  on  Blindgate  side,  by 
means  of  hedges   and  fences,   which    were  prevented   from 
being  levelled  by  the  private  influence   of   the   proprietors. 
They  also  obtained  a  position  close  to  the  bastion  behind  the 
church,  from  the  fire  of  which  they  were  defended  by  a  mill, 
which  also  some  ill-advised  neglect  allowed  to  remain.  The 
Irish  erected  two  batteries,  one   of  which  played  briskly  on 
Blindgate  and   the  bridge.     From  the  gate   they  broke  the 
upper  beam  lessened  the  chain,  which  Captain  M'Cullough 
fastened    at  great    risk  amid   a  shower    of   bullets.      They 
battered  the   bridge,  and  almost   succeeded    in  breaking  it 
down  with  a  view  to   prevent  the   garrison   from  efiecting 
their  escape  to  Derry.     The  other  battery  did  little  mischief, 
as  it  only  killed  one  man,  and  made  a  few  breaches  in  the 
church  and  other  houses,  and  was  silenced  by  a  musket  ball 
which  killed  one  of  the  gunners.      M'Geohegan  says   that 
the  Irish  army   was  badly   provided   with  artillery,   which 
this  statement  seems  to  confirm.     The  statements  about  this 
war  are  so  one-sided  that  it  is  only  by  probabilities  we  can 
arrive  at  the  truth.     In  the  evening  the  Irish  general,  under 
cover  of  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  withdrew  his  forces  to  Bally- 
money.     The   garrison   was  prevented  from  pursuit  by  the 
obstacles  which  they  had  themselves  raised,  having  blocked 
their  gates  with  timber,  earth  and  rubbish,  yet  some  leaped 
over  the  ramparts  and  took  several  prisoners.     The  loss  on 


212  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

the  part  of  the  garrison  reduced  to  three,  while  the  Irish 
are  said  to  have  carried  off  their  dead,  and  even  burned  them 
in  a  house  lest  the  number  might  be  known,  makes  the 
whole  account  look  rather  suspicious.  A  portion  of  the 
garrison  was  after  this  sent  to  guard  the  passes  over  the 
Bann  to  prevent  the  forces  under  Lord  Galmoy  from  effect- 
ing a  junction  with  those  under  General  Richard  Hamilton. 
Colonel  Nugent  crossed  the  Bann  and  defeated  these  troops 
in  a  severe  engagement  at  Portglenone.  Ooleraine  was  in 
consequence  abandoned,  and  the  bridge  broken  down,  lest 
the  Irish  army  would  intercept  their  escape  to  Derry.  To 
cripple  the  resources  of  the  enemy,  the  whole  country  from 
the  Bann  to  the  Foyle  was  burned  and  laid  waste.  The 
inhabitants  of  Ooleraine  followed  the  garrison  to  Derry, 
where  tliey  were  formed  into  the  "  Ooleraine  Regiment"  of 
13  companies,  each  of  which  consisted  of  60  men,  and  placed 
under  the  command  of  Major  Parker. 

The  Duke  of  Berwick,  with  several  officers  had  now- 
arrived  in  the  camp  of  General  Richard  Hamilton,  before 
Ooleraine,  and  on  the  same  night  the  general  was  informed 
that  the  town  was  abandoned.  Next  day  General  Hamilton 
took  possession  of  the  town,  and  having  repaired  the  bridge, 
placed  Oolonel  O'Moore  in  command  of  Ooleraine.  AVhen 
the  Irish  array  was  retreating  from  Derry,  Sir  Charles 
Oarney  occupied  Ooleraine,  and  had  the  town  put  in  a 
posture  of  defence,  but  on  the  approach  of  Major-General 
Kirk  the  garrison  fled  in  such  confusion,  "  that,"  says  the 
Londov  Gazette,  "  they  had  tarred  the  bridge  and  laid  com- 
bustible in  order  to  burn  it,  but  their  fear  was  such  that 
none  would  stay  to  set  fire  to  it."  Many  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Ooleraine  and  the  vicinity  fought  under  the  standard  of 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  213 

William   through  all  his  wars ;  and  in   all   his  army  there 
were  not  braver  officers  nor  more  devoted  soldiers. 

The  history  of  Coleraine  after  this  assumes  a  more  homely 
and  every-day  character*     In  the  year  1709  the  corporation 

*The  history  of  the  borough  of  Coleraine  from  the  Revolution  to  the 
Union  presents  some  curious  episodes.  lu  the  Parliament  assembled 
iu  Dublin,  August,  1695 — the  first  assembled  after  the  accession  of 
William  III.,  Coleraine  was  represented  by  Sir  Arthur  Langford, 
Bart.,  and  Mr.  Samuel  Jackson,  third  son  of  Thomas  Jackson,  who 
settled  in  this  county,  having  obtained  an  advantageous  lease  of  the 
estate,  on  which  he  built,  in  1688,  Jackson  Hall.  He  married  in 
1650,  Susanna,  sister  to  Sir  Thomas  Beresford. — The  Jackson  Family, 
by  Charles  O'Neill,  in  the  Belfast  Mercury.  In  1703  Sir  Arthur 
Langford  and  Thomas  Price,  Esq.,  were  elected  to  represent  the 
town.  At  the  election  of  1713  Mr.  William  Jackson  and  his  brother 
contested  the  borough  with  General  Hamilton  and  George  Louther. 
The  Jacksons  were  unsuccessful,  though  the  mayor  left  no  means 
untried  to  secure  their  return.  They  petitioned  the  house  on  the 
21st  of  December,  1713,  complaining  of  the  undue  return  of  General 
Hamilton  and  Louther.  On  the  same  day  Alderman  Arthur  Church 
and  Robert  Bacon  petitioned  the  House,  complaining  of  the  un- 
warrantable conduct  and  illegal  practices  of  Mr.  Arthur  Carey,  the 
mayor.  It  appears  Carey  had  managed  to  get  himself  elected  mayor 
for  two  years  in  succession,  that  he  brought  iuto  the  corporation 
eleven  aldermen  and  burgesses  contrary  to  the  powers  given  by  the 
Charter,  and  against  the  consent  of  the  majority  of  the  corporation, 
without  holding  a  full  court,  that  he  mortgaged  the  revenues  of  the 
corporation,  and  took  no  notice  of  applications  made  to  him  to  hold 
a  court  to  name  an  alderman  in  the  room  of  Alderman  Godfrey, 
deceased,  and  that  the  jail  was  out  of  repair,  and  a  prisoner  had 
effected  his  escape.  Eventually  he  did  call  a  court,  but  did  not  hold 
it.  He  then  called  another  on  the  13th  of  August  of  that  year,  but 
directed  the  Chamberlain  to  hide  the  books,  and  to  "abscond  himself. " 
Mr.  Jackson,  ' '  who  manages  the  mayor,  and  for  whose  services 
he  has  committed  many  irregularities,  declared  to  Mr.  George 
Louther,  one  of  the  candidates,  that  unless  he  got  such  members  as 
he  named  put  into  the  corporation  in  several  vacant  places,  the 
mayor  will  run  all  risks  and  not  hold  a  court."  Mr.  Carey  was  also 
accused  of  having  broken    open   the  Irish  Society's  letters  to  the 


214  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

of  Coleraine  solicited  the  Irish  Society  to  encourage  the 
linen  manufacture  in  the  town,  which  the  Society  refused. 
Nevertheless  the  people  of  the  vicinity  strenuovisly  applied 

corporation,  and  of  having  signed  the  names  of  several  members  of 
corporation  to  letters  addressed  to  the  Irish  Society.  On  the  day  of 
the  election  the  mayor  placed  constables  and  sergeants  at  the  court- 
house door,  and  ' '  hindered  several  aldermen  and  burgesses  to  enter 
to  vote,  and  hindered  George  Louther,  one  of  the  candidates  to  go 
in."  He  even  threatened  to  commit  the  sheriffs  of  the  county,  if 
they  entered,  although  it  was  under  their  precept  he  held  the 
election.  Hamilton  and  Louther  were  returned,  notwithstanding  the 
exertions  of  the  mayor.  Both  petitions  were  heard  on  the  4th 
December,  1713.  The  House  resolved  that  the  suspension  of  Alder- 
man Church,  Eobert  Bacon,  William  Forrester,  and  James  Eankin, 
members  of  the  corporation,  was  null  and  void  ;  that  the  elections  of 
George  Carey  to  be  an  Alderman,  and  of  Charles  Church,  Eichard 
Adams,  and  Edward  Nicholas  to  be  burgesses  were  null  and  void  ; 
and  that  Hamilton  and  Louther  were  duly  elected.  Mr.  Carey,  the 
mayor,  was  directed  to  be  taken  into  custody  by  the  Sergeant-at- 
arms.  Mr.  Carey  however  evaded  that  functionary  till  the  opening 
of  the  new  parliament  in  1715,  when  the  order  for  his  arrest  dropped. 
During  the  years  1714  and  1715  those  disgraceful  disputes  among  the 
members  of  the  corporation  continued,  and  one  of  the  contending 
parties  carried  off  the  sword  and  mace.  In  1715  the  members  re- 
turned to  represent  the  borough  were  General  Hamilton  and  Sir 
Marcus  Beresford.  In  1720  Sir  Marcus  was  raised  to  the  peerage  by 
the  title  of  Baron  Beresford  and  Viscount  Tyrone,  and  Francis 
Burton,  Esq.,  was  returned  in  his  place.  In  1727  there  was  a  great 
contested  election  for  the  borough  of  Coleraine.  Eichard  Jackson 
and  Thomas  Jackson  stood  on  their  family  interest,  and  they  had 
also  the  interest  of  the  Irish  Society.  They  were  opposed  by  Mathew 
Pennefather  and  Henry  Carey,  Esq.,  who  came  forward  on  the 
Tyrone  interest.  Mr.  Andrew  Macklewaine  made  out  a  precept, 
directed  to  the  mayor  of  Coleraine  only,  and  Mr.  Ash,  the  other 
sheriff,  made  out  a  second  precept,  directed  to  the  mayor,  aldermen, 
and  burgesses  ;  but  the^mayor,  Mr.  Griffin  Howard,  refused  to  pro- 
ceed on  the  latter  precept.  Mr.  Pennefather  was  a  stranger  to  the 
town,  and  Mr.  Carey  had  no  influence  with  the  electors — both  were 
merely  the  nominees  of  Lord  Tyrone.     Pennefather  and  Carey  were 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  215 

themselves  to  that  industry,  and  the  "  Coleraines"  soon 
became  celebrated  at  home  and  in  foreign  markets.  In 
1718  it  was  determined  to  build  a  bridge  over  the  Bann  j 
the  Irish  Society  recommended   that  it  should  be  built  of 

returned,  and  the  Jacksons  presented  a  petition  to  the  house,  coin- 
plaining  that  persons  offered  sums  of  money  and  other  rewards  to 
voters  to  engage  them  in  the  interest  of  Lord  Tyrone,  and  that  they 
made  them  take  oaths  of  secrecy  not  to  discover  the  offers  made,  and 
that  the  persons  offering  the  bribe  took  an  oath  that  they  would  not 
divulge  it,   and  that  Lord  Tyrone's  agent  kept  persons  at  Bovagh , 
"  with  such  caution  that  none  of  their  friends  or  relatives  could  have 
access  to  them."      The  petition  was  withdrawn  when  Mr.  Penne- 
father   was   elected  for   Cashel,    and  a  new   writ   was   ordered   for 
Coleraine.      Mr.    Thomas   Jackson   again   came   forward,    and   was 
opposed  by  Mr.  William  Richardson,  who  was  defeated.       Jackson 
and  Mr.   William  Carey  represented  the  borough  until  1715,  when 
Jackson  died,  and  his  nephew,  Richard  Jackson,  was  elected.     He 
represented  the  borough   until  1790,  having   for  his  colleague  Mr. 
Carey  till   1757,    when    Mr.    Hamilton   Gorges,    a   relative   of  Mr. 
Jackson,    was   elected,  who   was  the   second  representative  of   the 
borougb  till  1761,  when  George,   Lord  Beresford,  having  failed  in 
another  borough,  Mr.  Gorges  made  way  for  him  in  Coleraine.     In 
1763  the  colleague  of  Mr.  Jackson  in  the  representation  was  George 
Paul  Monk,  Esq.,  who  had  married  a  daughter  of  Lord  Tyrone.     In 
1777    Mr.    Jackson   became   Chief   Secretary    for    Ireland,     and    a 
Member  of  the  Privy  Council,  and  by  this  vacated  his  seat,  but  was 
re-elected.     He  had  for  his  colleague  Arthur  Wolfe,  Esq.,  whore- 
presented  the  borough  with  him  till  Mr.  Jackson's  death  in  1790. 
George  Jackson,  Esq.,  succeeded  in  the  representation  on  his  father's 
death,  and  retained  it  till  1796,  when  he  accepted  of  the  Exheator- 
ship   of   Ulster,  the   Chiltern   Hundred   of  that   day.     He   had  for 
colleage  in  1791,  the  Rt.  Hon.  J.  Beresford  in  1792,  George  Fitzgerald 
Hill,  Esq.,    and  in    1796,    Stanley   Monck.     From    1796    until   the 
Union   the   borough   was    represented    by   the    Right   Hon.    John 
Beresford,  and  Mr.   Walter  Jones.     By  the  Act  of  Union  Coleraine 
was    deprived    of    a    second    representative.       It    elected    George 
Jackson  in  1801  its  first  representative  to  the  imperial  parliament. 
This  Mr.  Jackson  in  1804  sold  Jackson  Hall,  now  called  the  Manor 
House,  to  Thomas  Knox  Hanyngton,  Esq. 


216  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

stone  and  not  of  wood,  as  it  was  originally  intended.  In 
1730  the  Irish  Society  contributed  £500  to  commence  the 
bridge;  and  in  1742  it  enclosed  the  quay,  and  granted 
£700  and  thirty-five  tons  of  timber  towards  building  the 
Market-house 

In  1770  a  lease  for  fifty  years  was  granted  by  the  Irish 
Society  to  the  corporation  of  their  holdings.  During  the 
trying  period  of  1798,  the  town  preserved  its  loyalty,  though 
the  spirit  of  rebellion  manifested  itself  in  the  adjacent  rural 
districts,  where  some  villages  still  preserve  the  cognomen 
Burnt  in  memory  of  their  punishment  at  the  hands  of  an 
infuriated  soldiery,  and  one  rich  farmer  expiated  on  a  tree 
near  the  Protestant  church  the  crime  of  patriotism.  In 
1820  the  Irish.  Society  recommended  that  a  public  sewer 
should  be  constructed,  the  streets  widened,  the  gaol  repaired, 
the  bowling-green  kept  open,  and  that  cottages  should  be 
built,  and  a  public  walk  or  mall  made  on  the  banks  of  the 
Bann. 

Coleraine  was  incorporated  by  a  Charter  of  King  James  I, 
bearing  date  28th  of  June,  1613.  The  corporation  consisted 
of  a  portreeve,  twelve  burgesses,  and  a  commonality.  The 
Commissioners  on  Municipal  Corporations  report — "  The 
limits  of  the  town  and  liberties  of  Coleraine  as  incorporated 
by  the  governing  charter,  compi'ise  a  circuit  of  three  Irish 
miles  around  the  centre  of  the  town.  This  is  considered  as 
marked  by  a  building  (situated  in  a  place  called  the  Diamond) 
which  was  formerly  the  market-house,  in  which  the  common 
council  meet,  and  in  which  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions 
holds  its  sittings.  The  limits  within  which  the  corporation 
exercises  jurisdiction  are  not  exactly  conformable  with  the 
circular  line  prescribed   by   the   Charter.     They   extend  in 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAIKE.  217 

one  direction  about  three  and  a  lialf  miles,  in  another 
direction  they  do  not  extend  fully  three  miles  from  the 
centre  of  the  town.  A  tracing  of  what  were  supposed  the 
limits  of  the  incorporated  district  is  dotted  on  a  map  called 
Sampson's  Map  ;  but  we  were  informed  that  the  boundary  so 
maped  is  not  the  true  one.  "We  were  unable  to  procure  an 
exact  definition  of  the  boundary,  by  reference  to  the  names 
of  the  denominations  of  lands  further  than  that  to  a  consider- 
able extent  it  is  considered  as  conterminous  with  the 
County  of  Londonderry."  A  second  charter  remodelled  the 
corporation,  making  it  consist  of  a  mayor,  twelve  aldermen, 
twenty-two  burgesses,  and  an  indefinite  number  of  freemen, 
which  was  styled  "  the  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Burgesses  of 
the  Town  of  Coleraine ;"  and  the  borough  was  included  in 
the  "  New  rules"  ot  1672.  The  Beresford  and  Antrim 
families  possessed  patronial  authority  over  the  corporation. 
The  Jacksons  also  came  in  for  a  large  share  of  control  in  the 
municipal  arrangement.  It  is  stated  that  the  Beresford 
family  purchased  the  Jackson's  interest  in  the  corporation 
at  so  large  a  sum  as  £7,000  ;  and  at  the  time  of  Municipal 
Corporation  Inquiry,  the  Marquis  of  Waterford  nominated 
burgesses  and  aldermen,  and  in  everything  acted  as  if  the 
borough  was  his  private  property.  The  corporation  has 
become  extinct,  and  its  property  vested  in  the  town 
commissioners  elected  under  the  Towns'  Improvement 
(Ireland)  Act,  1854,  to  whom  also  are  paid  the  dues  of  the 
river  Bann,  under  the  Bann  Navigation  Act,  1863.  The 
corporation  property  in  1831  amounted  to  .£4:18  18s  6d, 
from  rents,  and  £423  14s  6|d  from  tolls  and  customs. 
In  1844  the  corporation  property  produced  £1,335.  In 
1885    the   gross    annual    rental    was  £785    lis  7d.     This 


218  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

property  is  held  free  of  all  rent,  and  is  situated  in  the  town- 
lands  of  Blagh,  Dundooan,  Kiltinny,  Dooey-beg,  Ballygallin, 
Inchmearing,  Tullans,  Island-vardin,  Craignahorn,  and 
Coleraine 

The  charter  empowered  the  mayor  and  aldermen  to  hold  a 
Court  of  Record,  without  limit  as  to  amount,  similar  to  that 
held  before  the  mayor  and  aldermen  of  London.  Six  alder- 
men, including  the  mayor,  were  by  the  charter  constituted 
sole  Justices  of  Peace  within  the  liberties,  and  the  juris- 
diction of  their  court  extended  over  murder,  felonies,  and 
misdemeanours,  but  these  high  prerogatives  seem  at  an 
early  period  to  have  fallen  into  abeyance.  The  corporation, 
it  would  appear,  did  their  duty  as  guardians  of  public 
property  and  rights  in  a  very  careless  and  reprehensible 
manner,  as  might  be  expected  from  a  body  so  constituted, 
allowing  the  Irish  Societyt  and  private  individuals  gradually 
to  encroach  upon  and  claim  as  their  property  what  had  been 
intended  for  public  use  or  amusement.  The  present  town 
Commissioners  have  a  jurisdiction  over  an  area  whose  pro 
perty  is  rated  at  £13,029  7s  Od.  The  commissioners  have 
inherited  from  the  extinct  corporation  a  civic  Chain,  Mace, 

*  From  information  kindly  supplied  by  Charles  Daly,  Esq.,  J. P., 
Chairman  of  the  Town  Commissioners  of  Coleraine. 

+  The  Irish  Society  has  ever  been  unpopular  as  landlords  and 
trustees.  On  the  15th  of  February,  1854,  a  deputation  from  Cole- 
raine, consisting  of  Messrs.  S.  W.  Knox,  H.  Bellas  and  D.  M'Gonigal 
were  examined  before  the  London  Corporation  Commission.  Their 
evidence  shed  a  curious  light  on  the  Hon.  Society.  The  following 
extract  is  from  the  evidence  of  Daniel  M'Gonigal,  Esq.,  Solicitor  : — 

"  If  the  Commissioners  will  allow  me  to  read  a  few  sentences  from 
the  report  of  the  case  made  by  the  Society,  in  the  House  of  Lords, 
in  the  year  1839,  it  will  make  my  evidence  more  easily  understood. 
The  property  was  granted  to  the  Society,  and  vast  privileges  were 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE. 


219 


Sword,  and  Snuff-Box.  The  chain  in  former  times  was  sup- 
posed to  be  gold,  but  when  it  reached  the  Commissioners 
it  was  detected  to  be  brass,  however,  John  Mathews,  Esq. , 
when  Chairman  of  the  Town  Commissioners,  presented  a 
gold  chain.  The  Mace  is  silver,  and  in  form  somewhat  like 
that    of    the    House    of    Commons    in    Westminster;    it 

conferred  on  them,  in  the  words  of  the  charter,  'for  the  better 
ordering,  directing,  and  governing,  and  all  manner  of  things  for 
and  concerning  the  city  and  citizens  of  Londonderry  and  the  county 
of  Londonderry,  and  the  Plantation  to  be  made  within  the  said  city 
and  county  of  Londonderry,  and  other  businesses  belonging  to  the 
same.'  The  Irish  Society  set  np  no  claim  to  any  beneficial  interest 
whatever  in  the  property,  but  allege  that  by  the  charters,  the  rents 
and  profits  of  the  ferries,  fisheries,  and  townlands  are  applicable  in 
the  first  instance  to  the  furtherance  of  the  general  public  objects  of 
the  Plantation,  under  the  supervision,  and  at  the  sole  discretion  of 
the  Society,  and  that  the  companies  have  not  any  right  to  demand  a 
division  of  any  pai-t  of  such  rents  and  profits  among  them.  The 
uniform  course  of  proceeding  has  ever  since  been  for  the  Society  to 
appropriate  the  rents  and  profits  of  the  ferries,  fisheries,  and  town- 
lands  at  their  sole  discretion  to  the  maintainance  of  the  general 
operation  of  the  Plantation,  including  everything  which  tended  to 
the  support  of  the  Corporations  of  Londonderry  and  Coleraine. 
Bearing  that  in  mind  as  the  foundation  of  the  Society,  the  people  of 
Coleraine  complain  very  much  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Irish 
Society  have  managed  the  funds  entrusted  to  them.  They  entirely 
deny  the  statement,  that  they  are  expended  in  the  support  of  the 
Corporations  of  Derry  and  Coleraine,  inasmuch  as  the  Society  have, 
in  fact,  done  nothing  for  Coleraine  for  many  years  within  the 
memory  of  any  person,  except  giving  some  trifling  sums  towards  the 
repair  and  building  of  churches,  meeting-houses,  their  own  school, 
and  the  like  of  some  small  enclosures,  which  they  made  on  the  slob . 
'  Does  the  Irish  Society  give  any  assistance  in  the  way  of  money  to 
the  Corporation  of  Coleraine  in  the  same  way  that  they  do  to  the 
Corporation  of  Londonderry  ?  None  whatever  ;  on  the  contrary, 
they  have  refused,  or  at  least  not  complied  with,  several  applications 
made  to  them  by  the  Commissioners  for  grants  to  make  water- works, 
which  were  very  much  wanted  in  the  town  ;  to  sewer  and  flag  the 
town,  and  make  several  other  improvements.' 


220  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

measures    55   inches  to   the   top   of   the    cross.      On   it   is 
inscribed — 

This  Mace  was  given  to  the  Corporation  of  Coleraine  in  the  year 
1702,  by  the  Honourable  the  Trustees  appointed  by  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment, made  in  Scotland  for  ye  Sale  of  ye  Forfeited  and  other 
Estates  and  Interests  in  Ireland. 


This  Inscription  was  engraved  by  the  direction  of  the  Corporation. 


The  Sword,  a  two-handed  weapon  in  a  scabbard,  covered 
with  crimson  velvet,  is  48  inches  long  inclusive  of  the  hilt. 

Again,  another  question  elicited  the  following  reply  : — 
"  As  I  stated  before,  the  Commissioners  erected  gas-works  on  a 
piece  of  ground  which  they  leased,  from  a  gentleman  of  the  name  of 
Lyle,  in  perpetuity.  Adjoining,  or  I  rather  should  say,  surrounding 
the  rear  of  that  was  a  small  strip  of  ground,  part  of  the  ancient 
ramparts  of  the  town,  which  was  required  for  the  gas-works. 
They  applied  to  the  Society  to  give  them  the  same  tenure  of  this 
small  strip  as  of  the  other.  The  Society  said,  '  surrender  your  lease 
of  the  strip  (pointing  to  a  plan),  and  we  will  grant  you  a  lease  of 
61  years,  at  a  rent  of  £6  a  year,  (they  only  pay  at  present  £2  10s, 
and  have  a  lease  for  the  life  of  Lord  Castlereagh),  with  a  covenant 
that  you  will  always  use  it  for  public  purposes.'  The  Commissioners 
thought  that  so  very  tinreasonable  that  they  declined.  Again  '  the 
people  of  Coleraine  think  that  they  are  a  very  grasping  and  illiberal 
body  of  men.  '  .  .  I  have  a  memorandum  of  the  receipts  and 
expenditure  connected  with  Coleraine  for  the  last  seven  years.  It 
will  show  that  in  seven  years,  commencing  the  10th  February,  1846, 
and  ending  the  5th  February,  1853,  the  whole  amount  in  schools  and 
charities  of  all  descriptions,  during  which,  I  should  say,  the  famine 
occurred,  was  £4,510, 12s  6d.  In  these  seven  years  they  received  out 
of  Coleraine,  after  allowing  for  their  agent  and  poor  rates,  &c. 
£18,272,  9s  7d.  Out  of  that,  £4,510  they  only  gave,  when  applied 
to  for  aid  to  assist  the  poor  during  the  famine,  the  small  sum  of 
£25.  .  .  During  that  same  seven  years,  the  expenditure  in  law, 
in  deputations,  and  to  themselves  at  meetings  in  London,  amounted 
to  £10,390.'  .  .  The  people  of  Coleraine  complain  that  they  have 
taken  the  Commons,  which  originally  belonged  to  the  people  of 
Coleraine.  from  them  ;  a  part  of  which  was  a  bowling  green  for  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  221 

The  cross  guard,  which  projects  at 
either  side  considerably,  is  chased  in  low  relief ;  the  hilt 
and  cross-guard  are  gilded.  It  is  a  genuine  Andrea  Ferara, 
with  the  maker's  name  engraved  on  the  blade.  It  is 
evidently  the  gilt  sword  bestowed  to  the  Mayor  by  the  City 
of  London  in  1616,  see  p.   191.     The  Snuff-Box  is  a  huge 

amusement  of  the  town,  &c. '  Do  you  think  it  would  be  for  the 
benefit  of  the  town  of  Coleraine  if  all  the  property  of  the  Irish 
Society  were  sold,  and  the  proceeds  invested  ?  Most  undoubtedly. 
In  saying  that,  I  not  only  give  my  own  opinion,  but  it  is  the  general 
feeling  of  the  inhabitants  of  Coleraine." 

I  can  easily  be  imagined  that  a  body  of  twenty -four  London  Shop- 
men, who  know  no  more  of  Irish  life  than  what  they  had  picked  up 
in  an  excursion  train,  are  unfit  to  be  trustees  of  a  great  Irish 
property  ;  but  any  trustees  who  expend  60  per  cent.,  as  was  stated 
by  the  deputation,  or  as  Alderman  Humphrey  would  have  it,  only 
25  per  cent,  of  the  trust  fund,  in  "  Expenses  of  management,"  should 
at  once  be  dismissed.  To  know  how  they  did  expend  this  money  it 
is  only  necessary  to  read  the  following  extract  from  the  report 
presented  to  the  Town  Commissioners  of  Coleraine,  by  Messrs. 
S.  W.  Knox  and  D.  M'Gonigal  :— 

"  Their  accounts  also  show  the  expenditure  of  £4000  in  occasional 
deputations  or  visitations  to  their  property  in  Ireland  within  the 
same  period  (20  years),  a  great  proportion  of  which  was  spent  in 
driving  in  state  through  the  country  in  coaches-and-four  to  the 
various  objects  of  interest  and  curiosity — such  as  the  Giant's 
Causeway,  Lakes  of  Killarney,  visits  to  Dublin,  &c.  Their  tavern 
expenses  in  eighteen  years  amounted  to  £7,400,  but  the  source  of 
extravagance  seems  to  have  got  its  death-blow  by  the  exposure  in 
the  proceedings  taken  against  the  Society  by  the  Skinner's  Company, 
and  the  worthy  aldermen  eat  no  more  turtle  and  vension,  and  wash 
it  down  with  claret  and  champagne  in  taverns,  at  the  expense  of 
the  Coleraine  folks,  or  for  the  promotion  of  religion,  virtue,  and 
morality  among  us.  Hundreds  of  pounds  have  also  been  spent  in 
having  portraits  taken  of  governors,  deputy-governors,  cum  multis 
aliis,  of  their  faithful  officers  in  London  ;  and  no  doubt  it  would  have 
been  cruel  had  these  worthies  been  permitted  to  "  lead  their  faces 
to  the  grave"  and  leave  the   world  no  copy.      The  j)ious  zeal  to 


222  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

cylindrical  box  of  silver,  engraved  with  heraldic  shields  and 
other  devices  of  the  Beresford  family. 

"  Tn  the  townland  of  Tullans  there  is  a  circular  earthen 
fort  100  feet  in  diameter,  it  is   10  feet  high,  except  in  the 
east  side,  where  it  is  level  with  the  field  ;  the  trench  is  8 
feet  wide.     All  the  fort,  except  a  little  at  the  north  side  was 
tilled,  and  the  centre  of  it  carried  ofifor  manure  ;  there  is  no 
parapet  around  this   fort.     In  the  townland  of  Ballyclaber 
there  are  the  remains  of  a  circular  fort  which  was  180  feet 
in  diameter  ;  there  now  remains  only   60  by  150  feet  of  a 
semicircle  ;  it  is  10  feet  high  frooi  the  bottom  of  the  trench 
at  the  west  side,  the  only  part  undisturbed ;  the  trench  is 
15  feet  wide.     The  destruction  of  this  fort  commenced  about 
150   years  ago.     About    1823    a  number  of  earthen  pots, 
leathern  shoes,  of  a  cuiious  shape,  and  Dane's  pipes  were 
discovered  in  this  fort.     In   Cross-Glebe   there  was  a  small 
circular  fort  of  earth    and   stones,   22  feet  in  diameter,  and 
tapering  to  a  top.     The  stones  of   which  the  fort  is  partly 
composed  appeared  at  the  east  side  as  if  laid  in  layers  with 
the  earth.     Until  1831  there  stood  on  the  top  of  the  fort  a 
stone  about  3|  feet  high,  2  feet  broad,  and  14  inches  thick, 
it  is  now  lying  flat  near   the   fort.       There  was  formerly  a 
cave  about  20  yards  east   of  the  fort,  but   it  is   totally  de- 
stroyed.    On  cavehill  in  Millburn  there  is  an  artificial  cave 
17|^  feel  long,  from  which   branches  another  5   feet  long. 

preserve  their  memories  and  ornament  their  halls  is  beyond  all  praise, 
but  to  our  plain  and  humble  apprehension,  it  does  not  appear  how 
all  this  lavish  expenditure  of  the  trust  fund  in  London,  either  in 
feasting  or  promoting  the  fine  arts,  tends  to  improve  the  civil  or 
religious  interests,  or  advance  the  moral,  intellectual,  or  municipal 
improvement  of  the  plantation  in  this  neighbourhood  ;  or  how  such 
management  fulfils  the  trust  committed  to  these  absentee  landlords." 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  22,3 

The  largest  room  is  12  feet  long,  3  feet  wide,  and  4  feet 
high.  The  connecting  passages  are  of  the  usual  form,  being 
about  16  inches  high  and  24  inches  broad.  On  Loughan 
Hill,  along  the  road  from  Coleraine  to  Bushmills,  there  are 
the  remains  of  a  fort,  28  feet  by  18  ;  it  was  circular  and 
much  larger,  but  John  Rice  carted  much  of  it  away  in 
1795,  and  planted  sycamore  trees  on  the  remainder — after 
this  he  did  not  prosper — he  went  to  America  where  he  died 
very  poor.  There  is  a  fort  in  the  farm  of  William  Gault, 
Ballysally  ;  it  is  100  feet  in  diameter,  10  feet  high,  the 
trench  is  5  feet  wide  ;  the  entrance  is  on  the  east  side,  and 
is  two  feet  wide.  There  is  a  cave  in  Dundooan,  about  a 
mile  from  Coleraine,  on  the  left  of  the  road  to  Portstewart, 
the  entrance  to  it  is  in  the  face  of  the  ditch  near  Hugh 
Glenn's  door.  In  the  same  townland  there  is  a  fort  of  earth 
at  Samuel  Keith's  house,  part  of  the  west  side  is  carted  off ; 
it  is  now  82  feet  by  70  feet,  in  the  highest  part  it  is  12  feet 
high,  A  cave  was  discovered  in  it,  Dane's  pipes  were 
found  in  the  earth  of  this  fort." — See  Ordnance  Memoir  MS. 
The  Civil  Parish  of  Ballyaghran. — The  church  of  Bally- 
aghran  is  valued  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  under  the 
name — the  church  of  Hathranton,  at  £i  lis  4d.  The 
lands  of  Ballyaghran  seem  to  be  the  subject  of  the  followino' 
documents  : — On  the  24th  of  August,  1260,  Prince  Edward 
writes,  "  that  he  commits  to  Sir  Roger  de  Altaribus  the  land 
which  belonged  to  O'Haugarn  (Ballyaghran)  in  the  County 
of  Culrath  provisionally,  as  the  present  tenant  holds  it  of 
Edward's  justicary,  or  of  the  senechal  of  Ulster,  and  at  the 
same  farm  until  Edward  shall  arrive  in  Ireland,  or  further 
orders.  So  long  as  Roger  shall  pay  the  rent  and  properly 
treat  the  tenants,  this  land  shall  not  be  taken  from  him." 


224  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

Sweetman's  Cal.  Prince  Edward's  care  of  the  tenants  is 
worthy  of  the  fame  of  the  great  King  Edward  I.  The 
Compotus  of  Twescard,  a  document  in  which  the  Seneschal 
of  Ulster  accounts  for  rents  of  certain  manors  in  the  vicinity 
of  Coleraine,  in  the  years  1259-1262,  has  the  following 
item  : — 

And  of  60/-  of  the  rent  of  a  certain  land  in  Ohatheran-town 
(Agherton  or  Ballyaghran)  which  Peter  O'hatheran  held  in  the  same 
town,  which  was  the  lord's  (Edward's)  escheat,  viz. ,  for  three  terms. 
And  be  it  known  that  for  the  term  of  St.  Martin,  in  the  46th  year 
(of  Henry  III.)  he  answereth  nothing  for  the  aforesaid  land  of 
Hatheran,  because  it  was  assigned  to  Robert  de  Brennes,  as  is  con- 
tained in  a  certain  writ  of  Lord  Edward,  which  is  on  the  Marshal's 
file.  And  of  £4  of  the  rent  of  the  town  of  La  Pere  (Nare  in  the 
parish  of  Ballyaghran?)  for  the  aforesaid  four  terms. — Pipe  Roll 
Irish  Exchequer  Office,  see  Ulster  Journal  of  Archotol.  Vol.  Hi. 

Among  the  Patent  Rolls  of  James  J.  is  the  recital  of  a 
deed,  wherein  Edward,  eldest  son  of  the  King  of  England 
grants  to  his  beloved  and  faithful  servant,  Robert  de 
Benmays,  for  his  homage  and  service,  all  the  lands  and 
tenements  which  were  Hochageran  (Agherton  or  Bally- 
aghran?) in  the  County  of  Ulstei-,  except  the  advowson  of 
the  church.  To  hold  by  the  fourth  part  of  a  Knight's  fee 
Also  he  and  his  heirs  to  keep  a  boat  with  nets  and  all  the 
instruments  for  fishing  in  the  whole  river  of  the  Bann. — 
Pat.  Jac.  1.  p.  354-6  see  Ulster  Journ.  of  Archceol,  Vol.  m. 
The  church  of  Ballyaghran  is  entered  in  the  Terrier — 
"Ecclesia  Acharton  hath  20  acres  glebe;  it  pays  Proxies,  10/-; 
Refections,  10/-;  Synodals,  2/-;"  and  the  Visitation  Book 
of  1622  enteis,  "  Ecclesia  de  Ahorton  decayed."  About 
half  a  mile  north  west  of  the  ruined  church  is  a  well  in  the 
townland  of  East  Crossreagh,  marked  on  the  Ordnance  Map, 
Spa  Well,   which   was  reverenced  as  a  Holy   "Well,  and  is 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  225 

named  Tuhber  Patrick.  The  walls  of  the  old  church  are  in 
a  good  state  of  preservation,  but  present  no  architectural 
peculiarity.  Close  to  the  south-east  corner  and  about  two 
and  a  half  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground  are  the  remains 
of  the  piscina,  1  foot  3  inches  square  and  1  foot  deep.  A 
vault  in  the  graveyard  bears  the  following  inscription  : — 

This  stone  was  erected  pursuant  to  the  will  of  Mark  Kerr  O'JSTeill, 
of  Flowerfielcl,  Esq.,  lineal  representative  of  Arthur,  second  son  of 
Phelim  Dufi  O'Neill  of  Shane's  Castle,  who  departed  this  life  with- 
out issue  on  the  15th  October,  1818,  aged  54,  and  is  here  interred, 
being  the  burial  place  of  his  ancestors,  by  his  paternal  grandmother, 
for  near  200  years,  among  whom  were  his  great  grandfather,  Robert 
Kerr,  of  Flowerfield,  Esq.,  and  Margt.,  his  wife,  with  their  sons. 
Mark,  James,  William,  Nathaniel,  Robert  and  David,  who  was 
killed  at  the  Revolution  of  1688,  and  one  daughter.  Here  also  rest 
the  remains  of  his  grandfather,  Felix  O'Neill,  Esq.,  Hester  his  wife, 
daughter  and  heiress  of  the  said  Robert  Kerr  ;  also  his  father,  Mark 
Kerr  O'Neill,  Esq. ,  and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  with  his  two  sons,  Felix 
find  Major  Robert  O'Neill,  who  both  died  unmarried. 

This  Felix  O'Neill,  of  Neillsbrook,  Randalstown,  and  of 
Flowerfield,  near  Portstewart,  was  fii'st  cousin  of  French 
John  O'Neill,  having  been  the  eldest  son  of  Arthur  O'Neill, 
of  Neillsbrook,  the  second  brother  of  Bryan  of  the  Largey, 
French  John's  father.  Felix  acquired  by  his  marriage  with 
Hester  Kerr  considerable  property,  which  descended  to  the 
late  Henry  O'Hara,  Esq.,  of  Rock  Castle,  Portstewart,  who 
died  in  1844,  and  by  his  will  entailed  his  estates  in  the 
families  of  Alexander  O'Hara  of  Gloonan,  Ahoghill,  and  the 
Rev.  Robert  Rowan  and  Robert  Shuldham.  Felix  O'Neill 
was  Seneschal  of  Edendufi'carrick,  and  land  agent  of  the 
Shane's  Castle  estates.  As  seneschal  he  returned,  in  1713, 
three  members  instead  of  two  for  the  borough  of  Randals- 
town.  The  election  was  held  after  dinner  in  a  closed  room, 
where  with  about  fourteen  persons,  of  whom  ten  or  twelve 


226  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR, 

were  not  voters,  he  returned  three  representatives,  when  the 
charter  only  permitted  two  ;  in  the  meanwhile  the  remain- 
ing forty  voters — all  the  inhabitants  who  were  not  Papists — 
were  outside  and  were  refused  admission.  The  Committee 
of  the  House  ordered  that  Mr,  O'Neill  and  the  High 
Sheriff,  "  for  their  misbehaviour  in  the  election  and  return" 
be  taken  into  the  custody  of  the  Sergeant-at-Arms  and 
added  for  what  reason  it  would  be  hard  to  say  that  he  do 
"  take  into  custody  all  Papists  that  are  or  shall  presume  to 
come  within  the  observation  of  the  Sergeant-at-Arms,  until 
the  parliament  be  dissolved."  French  John  succeeded  to 
the  estates.  Pelix  O'Neill  was  continued  in  the  agency, 
perhaps  in  gratitude  for  the  mistake  in  the  election  return. 

On  a  slope  near  the  church  stood  a  castle,  said  to  have 
been  one  of  MacQuillan's  castles ;  the  foundation  of  only  a 
corner  of  it  can  now  be  traced.  "  It  has  lately  been  pulled 
down,"  says  the  Kev.  G.  V.  Samson,  "  merely  to  build  a 
ditch.  I  am  ashamed  to  mention  the  name  or  the  profession 
of  the  despoiler  (Rev.  David  Duncan,  the  rector).  In  the 
grout  I  found  pieces  of  pit  coal,  which  confirms  the  belief 
that  mining  is  of  great  antiquity." 

The  following  is  from  the  Ordnance  Memoir  M.S. — 
"  There  is  an  extensive  cave  in  Island  Vardin,  another  about 
twenty  yards  west,  which  was  perhaps  a  part  of  it,  was  de- 
stroyed about  1814.  There  are  two  caves  in  Bellemontmore 
now  closed,  there  was  a  third  which  has  been  destroyed. 
There  is  a  rath  in  Kiltinnymore  ;  it  was  90  feet  in  diameter, 
but  it  is  now  nearly  destroyed  ;  45  feet  of  the  parapet 
remains  at  the  north  side.  In  BallygalJin  there  was  a  rath 
140  feet  in  diameter;  it  is  now  nearly  destroyed,  30  feet  of 
the  parapet  remains  at  the  north  side,  the  foss  is  15  feet 
wide.     There  was  a  rath   in  Carnalbanagh,  but  it  is  now 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAlNE  227 

destroyed,  and  its  demensions  cannot  be  ascertained.  There 
is  a  very  remarkable  fort  in  Carnanee,  situated  in  the  edge 
of  a  small  precipice.  There  was  a  rath  in  the  townland  of 
Crossreagh  West,  but  it  is  all  destroyed,  and  its  original 
dimensions  cannot  be  ascertained.  In  the  same  townland, 
150  yards  west  of  the  old  church,  are  the  remains  of  a 
Cromleach.  Some  of  the  stones  on  the  south-east  side  were 
removed  about  1785.  Many  of  the  remaining  stones,  which 
formed  part  of  an  elliptical  figure,  have  been  disturbed  from 
their  places  and  laid  fiat.  A  stone,  5|  feet  long,  3f  feet 
broad,  and  li  feet  thick,  which  now  lies  horizontally,  sup- 
ported by  small  stones,  is  said  to  cover  the  mouth  of  a  cave, 
but  it  is  also  said  that  it  once  stood  on  end,  aud  was  a 
'  Rocking  Stone.'  " 

The  Cromleach  is  situated  in  a  part  of  Crossreagh  West^ 
which  is  called  Dooey,  and  near  the  Crannagh  is  a  small 
townland  named  Dooeybeg,  which  names  seem  remnants  of 
Tuagh,  the  ancient  name  for  the  angle  formed  here  by  the 
Bann  and  the  sea.  It  was  so  named  from  Tuagh,  a  lady 
who  was  drowned  here  after  she  had  been  carried  off  from 
Tara.*     From  her  the  mouth  of  the  River  Bann  bore   the 

*  The  story  of  Tuagh,  ascribed  to  the  Bard  Maile,  is  told  in  the 
ancient  manuscript,  the  Book  of  Leinster.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Conall  Collomrach,  who  ascended  the  throne  of  Ireland  in  the  year  of 
the  world  4876.  She  was  brought  up  by  Conaire  Mor,  who  gave  her 
a  retinue  of  female  attendants  to  guard  her  ;  not  allowing  men,  black 
or  white,  to  come  into  her  sunny  boudoir.  Now  Manannan — the 
Neptune  of  the  Irish — heard  of  her  fame,  and  sent  Fer  Fi  Mac 
Evgabail,  the  famous  little  tympanist  of  the  Tuath  De  Danan  to  carry 
her  off.  The  messenger,  under  the  form  of  a  young  woman,  got  access 
to  the  maiden,  and,  having  cast  her  into  a  deep  sleep  by  the  magic  of 
his  songs,  carried  her  to  the  mouth  of  the  Bann.  He  placed  her  in 
her  sleep  upon  the  strand,  while  he  went  to  seek  a  sea-worthy  boat, 
but  iu  his  absence  there  came  a  great  wave  which  drowned  the  sleep- 


228  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

name  Tuaigh  InVhir  (pron.  Tuay  Inver).  The  Tonn 
Tuaighe — *  the  wave  of  Tuagh'  was  one  of  the  "  three  magic 
waves  of  Erin" — the  others  being  those  of  the  bays  of  Dun- 
drum  and  Clonakilty,  the  roaring  of  these  was  supposed  in 
ancient  times  to  portend  some  terrible  disaster  to  the 
Kingdom,  frequently,  however,  when  it  suited  their  own  pur- 
poses, interpreters  of  omens  pretended  to  find  in  the  loud 
roaring  of  these  waves  a  presage  of  good  luck..  In  the 
ancient  Irish  tale  of  The  Battle  of  Magh  Lena  the  surge  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Bann  is  described  as  "  The  whispering, 
moaning,  cold,  long,  high,  playful,  rough-angled  wave  of 
Inbher,  Dr.  Reese's  Eccl.  Antiq.  p.  341,  gives  the  following 
translation  of  a  passage  from  the  Book  of  Lecan  : — 

The  Bann  at  one  time  was  but  small, 

If  any  body  could  remembei-  it, 

Women  and  children  could  leap  over  it,^ 

Previous  to  the  eruption  of  Loch  n-Eachacli  (Lough  Neagh). 

The  eruption  of  Eachach's  lake  was 

A  hundred  years  after  the  creative  God's  birth, 

It  gave  force  to  the  Bann  to  flow 

Over  all  the  country  to  Tuagh  Inbhear. 
Bee  Ua  Lethlobhair,  Lord  of  Dalaradia,  who  died  A.D.  904, 
is  called  "  the  renowned  chief  of  Tuaigh  Inbhir ;"  another 

ing  maiden.  In  memory  of  the  sad  event  the  name  of  the  place, 
which  had  hitherto  been  Inver  Glas,  was  changed  into  Tuaigh  Inver. 
Fer  Fi,  the  little  musician,  with  three  strings  in  his  timpan,  occurs 
in  many  of  the  Irish  stories.  In  that  of  "  the  Yew  Tree  of  Mac 
Aingis"  he  is  found  by  some  princes  of  Munster  under  the  yew  tree — 
"he  played  for  them  the  crying  tune,  and  he  put  them  to  crying  and 
lamenting  and  tear-shedding  ;  and  then  he  played  the  laughing  tune, 
till  they  laughed  with  mouths  so  wide  open,  that  all  but  their  lungs 
were  visible.  He  then  i>layed  for  them  the  sleeping  tune,  until  they 
were  cast  into  a  deep  sleep  from  that  hour  till  the  same  hour  next 
day."  In  the  meantime  the  fairy  musician  effected  his  escape.  In 
the  ancient  Irish  tale — Adventures  of  the  great  Bardic  Company — 
the  origin  of  the  harp  is  attributed  to  an  event  that  is  said  to  have 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  229 

proof,  that,  in  the  time  of  Sb.  Patrick  and  for  ages  afterwards, 
the  district  between  the  Bann  f  and  the  Bush  was  in  the 
territory  of  Dalaradia.     See  p.  161. 

occurred  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bann ;  there  once  Hved  a  man  and  his  wife 
Cuil  and  Canoclach  Wor,  "  and  the  wife  conceived  a  hatred  to  him, 
and  she  was  always  flying  from  him  through  woods  and  wildernesses 
and  he  was  always  following  her.  One  day  that  the  woman  came  to 
the  sea  shore  of  Camas,"  which  according  to  O'Curry  is  the  mouth  of 
the  Bann,  she  heard  the  wind  making  music  through  the  sinews  of  a 
whale's  skeleton,  and  the  sweet  sound  lulled  her  into  a  deep  sleep. 
Her  husband  perceiving  the  effects  of  sweet  sounds,  cut  a  tree  in  the 
woods  and  made  it  into  the  form  of  a  harp  and  put  strings  on  it,  in 
imitation  of  the  sinews  of  the  skeleton,  Thus  he  formed  an  instru- 
ment to  calm  the  angry  temper  of  his  wife  ;  and  that  was  the  first 
Irish  harp. 

There  was  formerly  celebrated  here  an  Aenach  Ticaighe,  or  a  public 
assembly  and  funereal  games,  in  honor  of  Tuagh,  and  probably  at 
her  funereal  mound,  which  may  have  been  the  rath  which  formerly 
was  in  the  townland  of  Cross  reagh  West,  as  mentioned  in  the 
Ordnance  Memoir  MS.  Congal  Clairingneach,  who  afterwards 
became  Monarch  of  Ireland  B.C.  161,  when  a  young  man  felt 
affronted  that  the  ruling  monarch  gave  the  provincial  sovereignity  to 
Fergus  MacLeite,  and  to  avenge  the  wrong  he  ravaged  his  native 
province  and  took  up  a  strong  post  at  Aenach  Tuaighe.  Here  he 
was  pursued  and  challenged  to  battle  by  Fergus  MacLeite.  The 
battle  of  Aenach  Tuaighe  is  thus  described  in  an  ancient  Irish 
Manuscript — "And  then  both  parties  of  them  advanced  upon  each 
other  with  long  blue  darts,  and  with  sharp  bloody  spears,  and  with 
round  or  gobular  stones  ;  after  which  they  had  recourse  to  their 
thrusting  and  striking  weapons  ;  until  slaughtered  hosts  had  fallen 
there."  Triumphs  of  Cojigal  Clairingneach.  Congal  was  victorious, 
but  he  deemed  it  prudent  to  retire  for  a  time  to  foreign  countries. 
We  will  hear  of  him  again  when  we  come  to  Rathlin. 

t  The  river  Bann  is  popularly  supposed  to  be  named  from  the 
Irish  word  Ban  '  white, '  but  it  really  comes  from  Banna,  which  now 
is  a  drop,  but  originally  was  a  river,  hence  several  rivers  in  Ireland 
are  named  Bann. 


230  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

The  civil  parish  of  Ballyrashane. — The  church  of  Bally, 
rashane  is  valued  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas,  under 
the  name  olEcclesia  de  Coulefade,  at  £8  lis  4d.  Cuilfada — 
the  long  corner — seems  to  have  been  the  name  applied  to 
the  ancient  cemetery.  At  an  early  period  the  rectory  was 
conferred  on  the  Prior  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem  ;  from  which 
circumstance,  and  from  the  ancient  rath  in  its  vicinity,  the 
church,  or  rather  the  townland  in  which  it  is  situated,  was 
named  Ballyrashane.  "In  Dowdall's  Registry,  the  King's 
Books,  and  almost  all  records  of  that  date,  the  parish  is 
called  Slngintone,  or  St.  John's-town.  In  1524,  Mauritius 
O'Heyle  was  presented  Primate  Cromer,  "jure  devoluto 
propter  absentiam  Ordinarii  in  Dicecesi  Connorensi  /'  to  the 
parish  church  of  the  Blessed  Mary  of  Singaynton,  alias 
Rathsyne,  now  vacant  by  the  death  of  Cormac  O'Colcan  ; 
and  the  letters  of  Collation  add,  "  per  Pilei  tui  capiti  tuo 
impositionem  auctorizabiliter  investimus  deccrnentes  te  per 
Archidiaconum  loci  aut  ejus  vices,  &c." — Reg.  Crom.  p.  467. 
In  1605,  it  was  found,  that  the  rectory  of  the  church  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist  of  Singeston,  alias  Bally rasin,  in  the 
barony  of  Dunluce,  extending  over  ten  townlands,  was 
appropriate  to  the  Prior  of  St.  John's — Inq.  Antr.  Reeves^ s 
Eccl.  Antiq.,  p.  74.  The  Terrier,  a  document  of  about  1G17, 
enters,  "Ecclesia  de  Singinstowne  hath  a  plowland  of  St. 
John's  whereon  it  standeth — The  Prior  had  of  old  the 
presentation  of  the  Parson.  It  hath  half  a  town  for  the 
Glebe  ;  it  pays  Proxies  10s,  Refections  10s,  Synodals  2s." 
The  Ulster  Visitation  Booh  of  1622  reports — "  Ecclesia  de 
Singinton  decayed."  The  foundation  of  one  of  the  side- 
walls  and  part  of  the  two  gables  of  the  ancient  church,  from 
one  to  five  feet  in  height,  and  from  two  and  a  half  to 
three  feet  in  thickness,  stand  in  the  ancient  graveyard  ;  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  231 

interior  dimensions  are  sixty-four  feet  by  twenty-one  feet. 
Not  far  from  the  ruins  of  the  church  is  the  site  of  an  earthen 
fort,  which  was  thirty-five  yards  in  diameter,  and  rose  about 
twelve  feet  above  the  level  of  the  field.  During  the  de- 
molition of  the  fort  and  its  parapet  there  were  discovered 
within  the  parapet  fourteen  places,  each  about  six  feet 
square,  neatly  paved  with  well  dressed  stones,  and  on  each 
of  them  ashes  were  found.  The  site  of  the  fort  is  in  Brook 
hall,  in  the  townland  of  Kirkistown.  There  is  an  extensive 
artificial  cave  in  the  same  townland,  it  extended  under  a 
dwelling-house  in  which  resided,  in  1835,  Benjamin  Stirling. 

There  was  a  church  in  Gorticloghan  in  a  farm,  which  in 
1835,  was  in  the  possession  of  James  M'Cahan,  but  at  that 
period  the  church  had  been  entirely  demolished.  Nathaniel 
Eobinson  of  Knocknakeeragh  had  then  in  his  possession  the 
half  of  a  freestone  pedestal  of  a  cross,  which  his  grandfather 
had  removed  from  the  site  of  the  old  church  ;  but  a  few  years 
afterwards  Eobinson  showed  to  Father  Green  of  Coleraine, 
a  grinding-stone,  which  he  had  manufactured  from  the  old 
pedestal. 

There  was  in  the  same  townland  an  artificial  cave  which 
was  destroyed  in  1809,  it  was  in  a  farm,  which  in  1835, 
belonged  to  John  Walker.  This  man  in  reclaiming  some 
land  on  his  farm  found,  about  two  feet  under  the  surface, 
four  circular  pits,  containing  bones  and  dark  earth,  and  in 
one  of  them  was  what  appeared  to  be  a  headstone,  on  which 
were  some  letters  which  could  not  be  read. 

The  following  is  the  substance  of  a  report  made  to  the 
Ordnance  Survey  Ofiice,  by  Thomas  Fagan,  in  1835  : — 

There  is  an  artificial  cave  in  the  farm  of  William  Moore  in  Ballin- 
dreen  Scotch  ;  it  is  in  the  remains  of  an  earthen  fort,  which  has 
been  almost  demolished.     There  are  seven  or  eight  other  caves  in 


232  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

that  townland,  but  they  are  now  destroyed — informants,  William 
Moore  and  James  Parker.  In  Ballynag  Lower  there  is,  in  the  property 
of  Hugh  Lyle  of  Knockantern,  an  oval  fort  50  by  44  yards  in  diameter; 
at  present  it  is  convex  from  the  base  to  the  top  ;  the  summit  is  10 
feet  higher  than  the  field,  it  was  surrounded  by  a  moat  and  parapet, 
the  moat  is  almost  filled  in,  and  the  parapet  nearly  destroyed  ;  what 
remains  of  the  parapet  is  from  20  to  35  feet  in  breadth,  and  from 
1  to  5  feet  in  height.  The  fort  was  planted  bj'  Hugh  Lyle,  Esq. , 
about  1783 — Informants,  Daniel  Lafferty  and  John  Anderson.  A 
cave  was  discovered  in  the  same  townland  in  the  farm  of  Henry 
Smith. 

James  M'llreavy  of  Ballynag  Upper  discovered  on  artificial  cave 
under  his  dwelling-house.  There  was  in  the  same  townland,  on  the 
farm  of  Samuel  Acheson,  an  extensive  cave,  which  had  several  rooms 
branching  off  the  passage  ;  hearths  with  cinders,  and  spring-wells 
were  found  in  it.  This  cave  was  demolished  in  1833.  Many  of  these 
caves  in  this  vicinity  have  been  destroyed  in  order  to  erect  weaver's 
workshops,  because  it  is  said  the  stones  of  the  walls  and  roofs  of 
caves  keep  cold  and  damp  even  in  the  hottest  seasons  of  the  year, 
and  the  weavers  assert  that  linen  woven  in  workshops  built  with 
stones  from  these  subterraneous  structures  is  better  and  sells  higher 
than  linen  that  has  been  woven  in  houses  built  from  land  or  quarry 
stones—  Informants,  Daniel  Lafferty  and  others. 

The  ruins  of  an  earthen  fort  stand  on  the  remains  of  a  bog  in  the 
farm  of  Samuel  Acheson  in  Liswatty  Lower  ;  it  was  about  40  yards 
in  diameter.  The  remains  of  another  fort  stand  200  yards  to  the 
north-east.  It  is  now  destroyed,  but  it  was  about  42  yards  in 
diameter,  and  the  traces  of  the  parapet  indicate  that  it  was  18  feet 
broad.  Sharp-pointed  stakes,  quern  stones,  and  coarse  earthen 
crocks  were  found  in  it.  An  artificial  cave,  which  is  now 
destroyed,  was  found  in  a  sand  hill  in  this  townland — Infor- 
mant, William  Anderson  and  John  Thompson. 

The  ruins  of  a  fort  remain  in  the  farm  of  Hugh  Bellas  in  Liswatty 
Upper.  It  is  oval,  40  by  32  yards  ;  the  parapet  is  totally  demolished. 
The  site  of  another  fort  which  was  42  yards  in  diameter,  is  about 
82  yards  south-west  of  the  former,  but  it  has  been  carted  oif  for 
manure — Informant,  Roger  M'Carrigan. 

A  fort  stands  in  the  farm  of  James  Moore  in  Lisnagalt ;  it  is  24 
yards  in  diameter  on  the  top,  and  from  4  to  7  feet  above  the  level  of* 
the  moat,  the  breadth  of  the  moat  is  from  26  to  32  feet  ;  there  was  a 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  233 

surrounding  parapet  which  is  nearly  destroyed,  what  remains  varies 
in  breadth  from  6  to  16  feet,  and  in  height  from  1  to  5  feet.  Ancient 
quern-stones  and  butter  have  been  found  in  a  bog  in  this  townland — 
Informants,  James  Moore  and  others.  Nathaniel  Robinson,  of 
Knocknageerach  has  a  chair  made  in  1687.  Tliere  are  two  caves  in 
Articrunaght  North,  one  in  the  farm  of  David  Curry,  and  the  other 
in  that  of  Robert  M'Cahan,  but  both  are  now  closed.  There  is  a 
cave,  which  is  also  closed,  in  the  farm  of  James  Norris  in  Cloghfin 
South. 

The  remains  of  a  fort  which  was  about  25  yards  in  diameter  stands 
in  the  farm  of  Alexander  Adams  in  Island  EfFrick  North  ;  it  is  now 
nearly  demolished,  except  about  7  by  21  yards.  In  the  same  town- 
land  is  an  extensive  cave  in  the  farm  of  Robert  Achison  ;  it  was 
closed  about  1805,  because  a  child  was  drowned  in  water  which 
had  accumulated  at  its  mouth.  A  fort  10  yards  in  diameter  stands  in 
the  farm  of  William  Andersou  in  Island  Effrick  South.  It  is  level 
on  the  top  which  is  6  feet  higher  than  the  field  ;  the  parapet  is 
totally  demolished.  On  the  north-east  is  an  ancient  thorn  called  the 
Witches'  Bush,  which  is  said  to  be  often  illumined  at  night,  and  at 
the  base  of  the  fort  on  the  east  side  is  an  ancient  well  called  the 
Witches'  Well.  There  was  formerly  on  the  south-west  side  of  the 
fort  a  cave  which  has  been  destroyed. — Ordnance  Survey  Memoir  MS. 

PARISH  PRIESTS. 

The  strictness  with  which  the  Penal  Laws  were  ad- 
ministered prevented  Catholics  from  residing  within  the 
town  of  Coleraine.  On  the  western  side  they  ventured  not 
nearer  to  the  town  than  "  the  Irish  Houses"  on  Carthall 
hill,  and  on  the  eastern  side  they  feared  to  approach  nearer 
than  Spittal  Hill.  The  fewness  of  their  numbers  and  the 
poverty  ot  the  Catholics,  not  only  in  Coleraine  and  the 
Liberties,  but  even  through  the  barony  of  Dunluce, 
especially  after  the  year  1721,  when  the  last  Catholic  Earl 
of  Antrim  died,  rendered  them  unable  to  support  resident 
priests.  The  administration  of  the  sacraments  in  those 
districts  consequently  devolved  on  the  parish  priests  of 
of  Rasharkin  or  Loughguile,  on  the  Dominicans  of  Coleraine, 


234  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

or  on  the  priests  of  the  adjacent  parish  in  the  diocese  of 
Derry ;  but  what  arrangements  were  made  we  have  at 
present  no  documents  to  show.*  In  1704  the  E,ev.  Cornelius 
MacLaughlin,  who  was  then  54  years  of  age,  registered  him- 
self in  Derry  as  "  Popish  Priest  "  of  Errigal^  Aghadowey, 
Macosquin,  Killowen,  Coleraine,  and  Dunboe  ;  but  under 
what  circumstances  his  jurisdiction  extended  into  Coleraine 
we  cannot  tell.  At  the  same  time  the  Rev,  Daniel  M'Grath, 
who  was  then  aged  40  years  and  resided  at  Ballyaghran, 
registered  himself  as  "  Popish  Priest,"  of  Ballyaghran  ;  he 
had  been  ordained  in  1694^  in  the  County  of  Galway  by  Dr. 
Donnellan,  Bishop  of  Clonfert ;  and  his  bailsmen  at  the 
registration  were  Philip  Sullivan,  Inkeeper,  and  Daniel 
M'Swine,  Gent.  ;  both  of  the  City  of  Londonderry,  who 
each  bailed  him  in  <£50.  Conjecture  as  to  whether  he  was 
a  priest  of  the  diocese  of  Derry,  or  of  Down  and  Connor, 
would  be  useless ;  even  his  name,  which  is  of  frequent 
occurrence  in  both  dioceses,  would  not  assist  us  to  unravel 
the  difficulty.!     At   the   same    date   the  Rev.   Christopher 

*  Among  the  Irish  Martyrs  and  Confessors  under  Elizabeth  and 
James  I.,  given  in  F.  Copinger's  Theatre  of  the  Catholic  and  Protes- 
tant Beliylon,  printed  in  1620,  there  is  mentioned  'Donaghue 
MacReddy,  parish  priest,  (who)  was  hanged  in  Coleraine." — 
Specileg.  Ossor'mi.  (Third  Series). 

t  The  name  is  of  frequent  occurence  in  the  diocese  of  Derry,  and 
owing  to  the  Clannaboy  invasion,  it  is  also  of  frequent  occurrence  in 
Down  and  Connor  ;  in  the  Inqulsitiones  Ultonice  it  appears  in  the 
barony  of  Ards,  under  the  form  of  Magrae,  where  it  is  now  more 
correctly  written  MacGrath.  The  following  instance  of  the  Heroic 
Devotion  of  a  Sister's  Love  (see  Northern  Whig,  Dec.  14th,  1848),  is 
given  here,  in  order  to  preserve  it  for  a  place  some  day  in  the  class- 
books  of  our  National  Schools— "On  Friday,  December  1st,  two 
children,  a  brother  and  sister  of  the  name  of  M'Grath — he  being 
fourteen  and  she  sixteen  years  of  age — were  returning,  between  nine 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  235 

M'Yagh  was  residing  at  Bally magarry,  and  was  50  years  of 
age ;  he  registered  himself  at  Carrickfergus  as  "  Popish 
Priest"  of  Dunluce,  and  declared  that  he  was  ordained  in 
1687  at  Kilkenny,  by  James,  Titular  Bishop  of  Ossory  ;  his 
bailsmen  were  Francis  Andrews,  of  Carneckerne,  Co. 
Antrim,  Gent.^;  and  Francis  Hume,  of  Ahoghill,  Gent.,  who 
each  bailed  him  in  £50.  It  would  seem  that  on  the  death 
of  Father  M'Vagh,  or  M'Vea,  the  districts  under  his  charge 
passed  under  the  spiritual  care  of  the  parish  priests  of 
Pvasharkin.  There  can  be  little  doubt,  that  permission  to 
administer  all  sacraments  to  the  few  Catholics  in  the  parish 
of  Coleraine  and  the  adjacent  districts  was  conferred  on 
the  priests  of  the  diocese  of  Derry,  as  early  perhaps  as  the 
war  of  1641.  Dr.  M'Devitt,  Bishop  of  Derry,  requested 
Dr.  Hugh  M'Mullan  in  1779,  to  permit  the  priests  of 
Derry  to  administer  Coleraine  ;  and  the  Bishop  of  Down 
and  Connor  granted  the  permission,  with  the  condition 
salvo  suo  jure.  This  was  obviously  a  renewal  of  previous 
permissions  given  by  preceding  bishops  of  Down  and  Connor, 
for  it  was  stated  in  evidence  that  the  Rev.  Arthur  Brenan 
would  have  obtained  a  collation  to  Coleraine,  when  he  was 
collated  to  Rasharkin  and  his  other  parishes  in  1745,  if  he 
had  had  a  curate.  In  the  meanwhile  Coleraine,  with  the 
surrounding  districts,  became  absorbed  in  the  diocese  of 
Derry,  and  was  considered  by  the  priests  of  that  diocese  as 
and  ten  o'cleck,  from  Derg-bridge  Market.  Their  way  for  two  miles 
lay  across  the  bleak  mountains  of  Tierman,  where  there  was  neither 
way  nor  dwelling.  In  the  morning  they  were  found  dead.  The 
girl  on  leaving  home  had  a  shawl  and  a  woollen  handkerchief  ;  one 
of  these  was  found  wrapt  round  the  brother's  feet  and  legs,  and  the 
other  round  his  head  and  neck,  while  his  two  hands  were  folded  in 
her  bosom  ;  she,  it  seems,  was  striving  to  preserve  his  life,  while  her 
own  was  fast  ebbing  away. "—Correspondent  of  the  Freeman's  Journal. 


236  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

an  integral  portion  of  their  diocese.  On  the  other  hand  it 
would  appear,  that  the  bishops  and  priests  of  Down  and 
Connor  alwaj^s  retained  a  memory  of  their  rights.  Father 
Brenan  officiated  in  his  early  days  within  the  parish  of 
Coleraine,  as  did  also  his  successor,  Father  Peter  M'Mullan, 
while  according  to  the  evidence  of  Father  M'Caffery,  Dr. 
Patrick  M'Mullan  asserted  the  rights  of  his  diocese  to 
Coleraine  1807.  Dr.  M'Mullan  was  however  a  timid, 
peaceful  man,  and  was  unwilling  to  vindicate  his  claim  ; 
but  his  successor.  Dr.  Crolly,  determined  to  regain  his  rights. 
On  the  12th  of  May,  1834^  the  day  after  the  consecration  of 
the  church  just  erected  in  Ballymoney,  he  conferred  the 
parish  of  Loughguile  on  Father  Henry  M'Laughlin,  and 
severed  from  the  parish  of  Ballymoney,  which  was  thereby 
vacant,  the  district  of  Bushmills  and  Ballymagarry, — to 
this  he  appointed  as  parish  priest  Father  John  Green,  the 
curate  of  Culfeightrin,  and  directed  him  to  officiate  in 
Coleraine.  Father  Green  appi-ised  Father  Paul  Bradley  of 
this,  who  communicated  it  to  his  bishop,  Dr.  M'Laughlin, 
and  he  thereupon  caused  an  interdict  to  be  served  upon  Father 
Green.  Dr.  Crolly  then  appealed  to  the  Propaganda,  which 
on  the  5th  of  August,  1834,  referred  the  matter  to  the 
Primate,  the  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  Kelly.  The  investi- 
gation was  held  in  Davock's  Hotel,  Coleraine,  on  the  9th, 
13th,  14th,  and  17th  of  October,  1834,  before  the  Primate, 
assisted  by  Dr.  Brown,  Bishop  of  Kilmore,  selected  by  Dr. 
M'Laughlin,  and  by  Dr.  Higgins,  Bishop  of  Ardagh, 
selected  by  Dr.  Crolly.  A  mass  of  documentary  papers, 
printed  and  manuscript,  was  given  in  evidence,  and  13 
clergymen  and  17  laymen  were  examined  as  witnesses.  In 
addition  to  the  Bishop,  Di-.  Crolly,  the  following  priests  of 
Down  and  Connor  were  present :  Fathers,  Cornelius  Denvir, 


THE  Pi^RISH  OF  COLERAINE.  237 

P.P.,  Down  ;  Bernard  M'Anley,  P.P.,  Ballymena  ;  Daniel 
Curoe,  P.P.  Drummaul,  Advocates;  William  M'Mullan,  P.P., 
Loughinisland;  Henry  M'Lauglllin,P.P.,Loughguile,iVofar^es; 
Richard  Curoe,  P.P.,  Kilmore  ;  Peter  M-MuUan,  P.P.,  Ptash- 
arkin  ;  James  Denvii-,  P.P.,  Ballymoney  ;  John  Green,  P.P., 
Coleraine  (Down  and  Connor).  In  addition  to  the  Bishop,  Dr. 
McLaughlin,  the  following  priests  of  Derry  were  present : 
Fathers  Francis  Quinn,  Omagh  ;  Neal  O'Kane,  Curate  in  the 
Bishop's  parish  ;  Simon  M'Aleer,  C.C,  Moville,  Notaries; 
Francis  M'Hugh,  P.P.,  Drumquin ;  Alexander  M'Carron, 
P.P.,  Glendermot,  Notaries;  Charles  M'Caffery,  N.A.  P.P., 
Donaghmore;  James  Quinn,  P.P.,  Cardonagh ;  Daniel 
Dogherty,  P.P.,  Coleraine  (Derry)  ;  John  M'Laughlin,  P.P., 

Cappagh  ;    Paul   Bradley,   P.P.,    Magilligan  ;  Maginn, 

P.P.,    Lifford;  Roger,    P.P.,    Kilrea ;    Donnelly, 

P.P.,  Ballevan  (Garvagh) ;  O'Hagan,  P.P.^  Newtown- 

limavady ;    Magill,     C.C,     Coleraine    (Derry);    

Otterson,  C.C,  Kilrea  ;  and  M'Donagh,  C.C,  Moville. 

Dr.  Crolly,  having  been  called  on  by  the  Primate,  brought 
forward  a  number  of  documents,  the  oldest  of  which  was  a 
copy  of  the  Taxation  of  Poj^e  Nicholas  '^'  The  following  is  a 
copy  of  the  evidence  given,  some  irrelevant  matters  being 
left  out ; — 

The  JRev.  Richard  Curoe,  P.P.,  Inch,  Kilmore,  &c.,  examined— 
The  Right  Rev.  Dr.  M'Devitt  and  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Hugh  M'Mullan 
met  in  Ballymoney,  in  the  parish  of  Kilcoo.  Dr.  M'Devitt,  the 
Bishop  of  Derry,  was  then  administrator  of  the  diocese  of  Dromore. 

*  The  rolls  of  the  taxation,  commonly  called  the  Taxation  qf  Pope 
Nicholas,  of  the  date  of  1306,  were  discovered  a.d.  1807,  in  the 
office  of  the  Remembrancer  of  His  Majesty's  Exchequer  in  London. 
Mr,  Charles  Archibald,  Vicar  of  RathmuUan,  when  vindicating  the 
right  of  the  Earl  of  Carrick  to  present  him  to  the  vicarage,  had  his 
attention  directed  to  this  Taxation  ;  he  gave  Dr.  Crolly  information 


238  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

They  conversed  walking  in  a  field.  Dr.  M'Devitt  asked  leave  for 
priests  of  Derry  to  administer  Coleraine,  wliich  was  given  in  de- 
ponent's presence  by  Dr.  M'Mullan — sub  conditione  salvo  suo  jure. 
Dr.  M'Mullan  then  said,  that  he  hoped,  that  before  seven  years,  Bally- 
money,  Coleraine,  and  the  surrounding  districts  would  be  able  to 
support  a  priest.  This  occured  June  22nd,  1784.  Rev.  Arthur 
Brenan,  P.P.,  Rasharkiu,  would  have  obtained  a  collation  to  Cole- 
raine if  he  had  had  a  curate.  Deponent  often  conversed  with  Dr. 
Patrick  M'Mullan,  who  often  said  in  his  presence  that  he  would 
claim  Coleraine,  if  he  were  in  health,  and  if  not  averse  to  lawsuits 
and  disputes ;  does  not  remember  Dr.  M'Mullan  confirming  in 
Coleraine.  Dr.  M'Mullan  told  him  that  he  knew  of  Dr.  Hugh 
M'Mullan's  permission  given  to  Dr.  M'Devitt  as  well  as  he  did  ; 
thinks  that  the  conversation  and  permission  occurred  in  1779  ;  did 
hear  that  the  priests  of  Derry  officiated  there  before  the  Concordatum  ; 
thinks  that  Dr.  M'Cartan  gave  them  permission  ;  asked  Dr.  Patrick 
M'Mullan  did  he  know  of  the  Concordatum — yes,  as  well  as  yourself  ; 
conversation  occurred  when  he  was  in  Tyrella  ;  came  home  in  1778, 
was  a  year  and  a  half  in  Tyrella. 

The  Rev.  William  M'Mullan,  P.P,  Loughinisland,  examined — 
Accompanied  his  uncle.  Dr.  Patrick  M'Mullan  to  Dublin  in 
1814 ;  his  uncle  told  him  that  he  would  not  like  to  fall 
out  with  Dr.  O'Donnell,  but  he  (Dr.  O'D)  knew  that  he  claimed  a 
right  to  Coleraine.  Dr.  M'Mullan's  opinion  was  that  Dr.  O'Donnell's 
jurisdiction  was  deputed,  said  that  he  had  a  scruple  of  conscience  in 
not  claiming  Coleraine  ;  does  not  know  that  Dr.  Patrick  M'Mullan 
actually  reclaimed  in  proper  form ;  heard  afterwards  that  Dr. 
O'Donnell  and  the  priests  of  Derry  were  preparing  to  rebut  the  claim. 
To  the  best  of  his  belief  timidity,  nervousness,  and  an  unwillingness 
to   offend  Dr.    O'Donnell    prevented   Dr.    Patrick   M'Mullan   from 


regarding  its  value  in  the  controversy  concerning  Coleraine.  Dr. 
Crolly  caused  an  office  copy  of  the  document  to  be  made,  the 
accuracy  of  which  was  attested  for  the  ecclesiastical  court  on  the  1st 
of  October,  1834,  by  the  chaplain  of  the  Sardinian  Embasy  — Angelus 
Maria  Baldoceoni  Juris  Utriusque  Doctor,  et  Regice  Sardiniensis 
Legationis,  Londonii,  Capellanus  Major.  Father  Green  copied  this 
copy  and  succeeded  in  identifying  the  most  of  the  churches  mentioned 
in  it ;  his  identification  is  at  present  lying  before  me.  Dr.  Reeves 
likewise  had  the  use  of  it. 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  239 

urging  his   claim ;  remembers   him   state   that   Coleraine   went   to 
Derry  ppv  desuetudinem,  or  want  of  priests. 

The  Rev.  Peter  M'Mullan,  P.P.,  Ptasharkin,  examined— I  had 
several  curates  ;  I  discharged  duties  in  Rasharkin,  Ballymoney, 
Dunluce,  Finvoy,  from  1796,  till  the  second  year  after  Dr.  C  roily 's 
consecration,  when  another  clergyman  was  placed  in  Dunluce 
(styled  the  parish  priest  of  Ballymoney),  frequently  heard  it  stated 
by  old  inhabitants  of  my  charge  that  the  parishes  of  Coleraine, 
Ballyaghran,  Ballyrashane,  Ballywillin,  Grange  of  Killdallogh,  &c., 
belong  to  the  diocese  of  Connor,  and  that  old  persons  attended  often 
at  mass  celebrated  by  clergy  of  Down  and  Connor,  at  a  place  called 
Spittal  Hill  .  .  .  Rev.  Arthur  Brennan,  his  predecessor,  died  in 
1795.  The  extreme  parts  of  the  parish  is  13  miles  from  Coleraine ; 
he  discharged  duties  in  Ballywillin,  Ballyaghran,  so  did  his  prede- 
cessors ;  he  got  dispensations  in  Banns  from  Mr.  Quinn,  P.P., 
Coleraine  ;  the  priests  of  Derry  were  doing  duties  in  the  Liberties  of 
Coleraine  before  he  came  ;  he  and  his  predecessors  did  duties  as  far  as 
the  Liberties.  Hugh  Mulholland  and  Arthur  Brenan  were  Down 
and  Connor  priests  ;  heard  that  they  performed  parochial  duties  ;  can- 
not say  that  they  heard  confessions  ;  his  impression  is  that  they 
would  not  attend  at  Spittal  Hill,  which  is  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
of  Coleraine,  unless  they  performed  the  parochial  duties  ;  men  served 
mass  for  him  who  had  served  mass  at  Spittal  Hill,  but  does  not 
know  when  it  ceased  to  be  a  station  ;  Rev.  Hugh  Mulholland  was 
parish  priest  (of  Glenarm)  about  1788,  he  did  not  attend  when  he 
was  parish  priest ;  B.  Mulholland  was  an  itinerant,  as  well  as  he 
recollects,  but  not  Hugh,  the  place  was  not  able  to  support  a  curate  ; 
he  heard  that  he  continued  for  a  considerable  time  attending  Spittal 
Hill ;  Portrush  was  in  his  parish  ;  he  could  not  say  mass  in  Portrush  ; 
how  could  he  ?— there  was  only  one  Catholic  in  it,  and  she  was 
married  to  a  Protestant.  Many  a  time  he  held  a  station  near  the 
Liberties  in  Carnglass  at  Kennedy's  ;  Mr.  Fegan  did  duty  in  the 
Dunluce  district ;  Mr.  Brenan  did  duty  in  Rasharkin  ;  considers  both 
sides  of  the  Bush  river  in  Dunluce  district,  when  he  and  his  curates 
did  duty.  Mr.  Fegan  was  sent  by  Dr.  Hugh  M'Mullan,  Mr.  Fegan 
was  appointed  to  Rathlin  before  he  came  to  Dunluce,  from  Rathlin  he 
came  to  Dunluce,  where  he  built  a  chapel  at  Bushmills  before  his 
(Father  M'MuUan's)  ordination  ;  on  Mr.  Fegan's  removal  Mr.  Fanning 
and  Mr.  Lynn  succeeded,  both  were  subjects  of  Connor,  born  in 
Loughguile.  When  Deponent  came  from  France  he  succeeded 
i\lr.  Fanning,  who  also  assisted  deponent,  doing  duties  to  the  Liberties, 


240  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

without  dispute,  got  in  his  collatiou  from  Dr.  P.  M'MuUau  Piash- 
arkin,  Fiavoy,  Ballymoney,  and  the  district  of  Dunluce  ,  got  no 
collation  until  Mr.  Green  (afterwards  parish  priest  of  Saintfield)  left 
him.  Mr.  Fanning  and  Mr.  Lynn  had  no  collations,  they  were  curates 
of  the  Rev.  Arthur  Biennan,  whose  charge  comprehended  the  whole  of 
Dunluce.  Mr.  M'Laughlin  did  duty  on  both  sides  of  the  Bann,  he 
was  called  parish  priest  of  Coleraine,  might  be  called  so  from  either 
side  of  the  Bann,  he  (M'Laughlin)  was  here  about  60  years  ago,  and 
not  long  before  that  time ;  Mr.  Fegan,he  believes, had  charge  of  Dunluce 
in  1784  and  1785  ;  he  saw  him  there  in  1785,  he  (Fegan)  was  succeeded 
either  by  Mr.  Fanning  or  Mr.  Lynn  ;  believes  from  tradition  that  Mr. 
Mulholland  had  Dunluce  before  Mr.  Fegan.  Friar  M'Manus  did  duty 
for  Deponent  every  second  Sunday,  was  in  charge  of  Dunluce  long 
before  he  employed  Friar  M'Manus,  he  never  did  any  duty  in  it 
before  Deponent's  time.  John  Gray  and  Neal  Harkin  heard  of 
people  sending  to  Coleraine  for  a  priest  for  a  death  call ;  he  lives  15 
or  16  miles  from  the  extreme  end  of  Dunluce  district ;  Rev.  Arthur 
Brenan  lived  in  the  town  of  Rasharkin. 

Richard  M'Henry  (sworn)  is  between  50  and  60  half  ways,  lives  in 
Ballyrashane,  townland  of  Carnglass  ;  Coleraine  belongs  to  Connor, 
for  the  Protestant  Church  in  it  which  was  taken  from  the  Catholics 
belongs  to  Connor ;  heard  from  Mr.  Brennan  (parish  priest  of 
Rasharkin,  who  died  in  1795)  that  Coleraine  was  in  Connor  ;  Mr. 
Brennan  told  him  when  young  the  different  places  from  Bushmills 
on  to  the  Bann  at  the  Bridge-end  of  Coleraine  ;  of  all  which  districts 
he  (Mr,  B.)  said  he  had  charge  when  he  was  a  young  man;  he 
began  to  recount  at  Tubberdornan,  ended  at  the  Bridge-end  ;  did  not 
say  mass  there,  but  at  Spittal  Hill ;  in  this  enumeration  he 
mentioned  Mount  Sandal ;  told  the  name  of  a  man  a  Catholic, 
named  Dornan  at  the  Bridge-end,  who  went  to  solicit  a  priest 
to  be  sent  by  Mr.  Brenan  ;  he  said  he  would  send  a  priest  down. 
Mass  was  said  at  Dunluce  before  the  Conditions  of  Limerick. 
Deponent  visited  Mr.  Brenan,  to  know  when  a  clergyman  would  be  in 
Bushmills  ;  they  had  Mass  then  at  Bushmills,  they  could  not  have 
it  at  Dunluce,   because  a  man  named  Moore  would  not  allow  them. 

Rev.  John  Rogers,  P.P.,  examined— Is  76  years  of  age  ;*  recollects 

»  The  following  letter,  written  by  Dr.  O'Donovan,  presented  in  the  Royal  Irish 
Academy,  testifies  to  the  great  knowledge  of  the  Irish  language  possessed  by  this 
vei.erable  clergjanan.  It  is  strange,  however,  that  at  the  Investigation  he  is  called 
Rogers,  but  when  conversing  with  Dr.  O'Donovan  he  calls  himself  M'Rorj',  the 
ancient  name  of  the  family :— 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  241 

Mathew  Rogers,  his  uncle,  parish  priest  of  Coleraine,  when  deponent 
was  9  years  old,  that  is  now  67  years  ago  ;  believes  that  he  exercised 
jurisdiction  over  the  Bann  ;  recollects  Rev.  Henry  Walls,  was  not 
acquaint  with  him  ;  believes  his  uncle  succeeded  Rev.  John  Bradley  ; 
his  uncle  resided  in  the  Killowen  side  of  the  Bann,  the  people  showed 
him  his  house  ;  recollects  Rev.  John  Walls,  the  successor  of  Henry  ; 
then  Rev.  John  M'Laughlin  ;  then  Rev.  James  Ward  ;  then  Rev.' 
Mathias  M'Cusker ;  then  Rev.  Patrick  M'Kenna  ;  then  Rev. 
Bernard  M'Namee  ;  then  Rev.  Charles  M'Caffry,  from  1802  to  1806  : 
then  Rev.  James  Quin ;  then  Rev.  Patrick  O'Kane  ;  then  Rev.  Paul 
Bradley,  and  then  Rev.  Daniel  Dogherty  ;  believes  that  all  these  per- 
formed all  parochial  duties,  and  received  the  dues,  as  did  also  their 
curates,  on  both  sides  of  the  Bann  ;  never  heard  that  they  did  so  from 
delegated  power.  At  Mr.  M'Cusker's  death  the  charge  was  divided,Mr. 
M  'Kenna  got  one  side.  Deponent  in  his  early  days  assisted  Rev 
Mr.  M'Kenna,  who  left  between  1801  and  1802;  heard  that  Friar 
M'Manus  was  curate  to  several  parish  priests  of  Derry,  and  that  he 
said  Mass  and  heard  confessions  at  Bushmills  ;  heard  this  from  him- 
self and  others  ;  never  heard  of  the  affair  of  Dr.  M  'Mullan  and  Dr. 
O'Donnell ;  heard  that  a  Rev.  Terence  Rodgers  was  at  "Limerick 
Conditions  "  (the  treaty  of  Limerick),  and  was  reputed  the  parish 
priest  of  Coleraine. 

Rev.  Charles  M'Caffery,  P.P.,  Donaghmore,  examined— Was  in 
charge  of  Coleraine  6  years,  from  November,  1802  till  1808  ;  a  year 
before  he  left  Dr.  O'Donnell  intimated  to  him  with  astonishment,  on 

Maghera,  Octobei  8th,  1834. 
Dear  Sir,— I  walked  toKllrea  yesterda}'  and  saw  the  Rev.  John  M'Rrorj',  P.P. 
of  Kilrea,  Desertoghill,  and  Tahiiaght  O'Crilly.  He  was  parish  piicst  of  Ard  Magil 
ligan  for  fourieen  years.  He  has  thrown  great  light  upon  the  names  of  places 
around  Newtown  Limavady.  He  denies  that  umbra  in  Ardinagilligan  was  named  by 
Lord  Bristol  (as  is  generally  said  and  believed)  from  the  shadow  of  the  rock,  but  is 
positive  that  the  Irish  people  called  it  lomaire,  a  low  ridge,  in  his  own  time  and 
before  Lord  Bristol  was  bom.  He  says  that  we  have  spelled  Benone  wrong.  The 
word  signifies  river  foot  (bun  abhaina),  and  is  called  Boonowen  in  the  Inquisitions 
The  stream  so  called  is  the  outlet  of  all  the  drains  in  that  part  of  the  parish.  He 
says  that  Doagh  was  well  understood  there  in  his  own  time  to  signify  a  round  sand 
bank,  and  that  the  soft  ground  lying  between  these  sandbanks  is  called  Coagh. 
Eibhis  we  have  incorrectly  spelled.  Aeish  in  one  or  two  instances  signifies 
coarse  mountain  pasture,  or,  as  they  term  it  in  the  country  lathing  grass.  There  are 
many  townlands  in  the  country  bearing  the  name,  and  I  think  we  should  spell 
it  Evish. 

Mr.  M'Rory  says  that  many  forts  were  thrown  up  to  defend  cattle  against  wolves 
and  other  ravenous  animals,  and  that  the  name  Lisnagree  is  a  great  proof  of  it 

Q 


242  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

returning  from  an  interview  with  Dr.  Patrick  M'Mullan,  that  the 
Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor  claimed  the  north-east  of  the  Bann  ; 
lie  requested  deponent  to  investigate  and  ascertain,  through  the 
oldest  and  most  respectable  hearers,  what  could  be  the  grounds  for 
this  claim  ;  called  on  Michael  Kane  of  Killowen,  the  oldest  and  most 
unexceptionable  character,  who  stated  that  he  was  then  84  years  of 
ao-e  ;  he  took  his  voluntary  oath  in  deponent's  presence,  that  he 
never  heard,  nor  never  knew,  nor  believed  that  any  priest  of  Down 
and  Connor  ever  exercised  parochial  jurisdiction  in  Coleraine  or  its 
neighbourhood ;  that  deponent  annexed  his  signature  to  that  de- 
position and  forwarded  it  to  Dr.  O'Donnell ;  took  no  deposition  on 
the  east  side, but  enquired,  and  they  agreed  with  O'Kane  ;  never  heard 
of  a  delegated  authority,  until  last  Summer,  from  Dr.  M'Laughlin; 
if  Dr.  M'Devitt  was  aware  of  it  he  would  have  told  Dr.  O'Donnell. 
and  he  to  deponent ;  Dr.  O'Donnell  was  Dean,  and  deponent  lived 
with  him  ;  there  were  few  Catholics  east  of  the  Bann  in  the  Liberties  ; 
went  3  or  4  miles  through  them  ;  was  never  limited  by  Mr.  M'Mullan, 
P.P.,  Pvasharkin,  &c. ;  never  ascertained  the  boundaries,  but  con- 
siders the  Liberties  to  be  the  limits  ;  when  he  went  unto  that  side  a 
distance  was  glad  to  get  his  heels  out  of  the  place  ;  never  heard  of 
any  Connor  priest  saying  Mass  at  Spittal  Hill. 

Neal  O'Dogherty  examined— Is  more  than  60  years  of  age,  lives  in 
Long  Commons,  east  of  the  Bann  ;  never  knew  of  any  priest  of 
Connor  officiating  near  Coleraine — the  Catholics  were  afraid — 
never  heard  Spittal  Hill  mentioned  till  our  chapel  was  com- 
menced ;  never  heard  of  Neal  Harkin's  list ;  went  to  live  east  of  the 
Bann  when  very  young  ;^had  no  place  to  hear  Mass  but  in  Killowen  ; 

Lios  na-g-croige  signifies  fort  of  cattle.  He  often  heard  from  O'Kelly  his  relative 
(the  Shanachy  of  Ballynascreen),  that  many  of  the  forts  or  raths  were  erected  by 
farmers  to  protect  their  cattle,  and  that  they  planted  them  with  white  thorn  and  other 
shrubs  for  that  purpose.  Lisnacree  in  the  barony  of  Mourne,  county  Down,  was 
one  of  this  description,  although  it  has  been,  by  ignorant  peasants,  translated 
Heartsfort,  which  has  now  been  the  current  name  in  the  country  for  the  townland 

Ballyavelin,  in  Dromachose  parish,  signifies  O'Havelin's  town.  The  name  is 
O'Havelin  in  everj-  part  of  the  county— not  M'Avelin,  as  Mr.  Petrie  thinks. 

Bolea,  in  Drumachose,  signifies  baile  Fhiadh — townland  of  the  deer,  and  Balteagh 
is  Bailte  Fhiadh— i.e.,  the  townland  of  the  deer.  Mr.  M'Rory  always  heard  that  the 
name  was  given  from  there  being  deer  parks,  deer  forests  in  Irish  times.  I  am 
inclined  to  concur  in  t  hat  opinion,  as  the  story  of  the  two  deer  and  the  old  church 
is  too  ridiculous  and  t  oo  manifestly  a  fabrication  of  old  romancers. 

Mr.  M'Rory  is  positive  that  the  word  beannchair  signifies  pointed  hills,  and  he 
refers  to  Monaghan  Magk  beannchair  as  a  proof,  that  townland  is  full  of  small 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  248 

was  confirmed  in  Killowen  at  the  Burn-side  ;  where  else  but  at  the 
old  chapel  of  Killowen  ? 

Thomas  Dompsey  examined— Is  near  86  years  of  age  ;  lives  7  miles 
off  in  Aghadowey  ;  all  his  forefathers  lived  there  since  1641  wars  ; 
remembers  as  parish  priest  Mr.  Bradley,  that  is  nearly  80  years  ago  ; 
heard  that  all  the  parish  priests  officiated  on  both  sides  of  the  Bann  ; 
always  considered  Coleraine  and  the  Liberties  to  belong  to  Derry  ; 
was  at  weddings  and  baptisms  on  the  east  side  of  the  Bann  performed 
by  Mr.  M'Laughlin  long  ago,  also  by  Mr.  Ward  and  by  Mr.  Rogers; 
was  at  a  station  held  by  Mr.  Rogers  60  years  ago  ;  cannot  tell  at 
what  house,  it  was  east  ot  the  Bann,  Mr.  M'Laughlin  marned  him. 

Patrick  Boyle  examined — Is  upwards  of  75,  lives  in  Kilmaconnell, 
two  miles  from  this  ;  knew  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rogers  ;  never  knew  of 
any  other  officiating  east  of  the  Bann  ;  heard  of  no  Mass  at  Spittal 
Hill  ;  heard  his  father  say  that  Mr.  Bradley  *  had  the  charge,  and 
baptised  his  child  ;  the  child  died  two  years  ago,  aged  about  90—92 
years  since  that  baptism  ;  knew  Friar  Bradley,  he  was  not  parish 
priest  ;  deponent's  father  died  28  years  ago,  aged  about  84  ;  knew 
stations  beyond  the  Bann  40  years  ago. 

John  M-Gonigal  examined— Is  aged  73  ;  lives  in  Coleraine  east  of 
the  Bann,  was  born  there  ;  his  father  died  .30  years  ago,  aged  72  ; 

pointed  gravelly  hills,    He  says  that  the  word  is  so  understood  m  the  country. 

The  Roman  Catliolic  Primate  of  Armagh  will  hold  a  conference  at  Coleraine  on 
Thursday  next,  to  determine  whether  Coleraine  town  belongs  to  the  diocese  of 
Derry  or  to  Down  and  Connor.  The  Primate  is  a  very  clever  man,  but  I  am  afraid 
that  he  will  make  a  wrong  decision  for  not  having  the  proper  authorities  before  him 
Many  of  the  Derry  clergy  think  that  Coleraine  belongs  to  their  diocese,  because  all 
the  land  west  of  the  Bann  was  called  the  Coimty  of  Coleraine.  In  Colgau's  time 
Colraina  was  in  regione  RuUe,  but  I  forget  in  what  diocese  he  places  it.  Dr. 
M'Loughlin  thinks  that  the  Dominican  monastery,  situated  west  of  the  Bann,  had 
possessions  at  the  east  side  of  that  river.  I  think  we  ought  to  set  them  right : 
but  I  icould  not  interfere  without  your  consent.. 

I  shall  move  to  Derry  to-morrow,  thence  to  Omagh,  and  thence  by  a  cross  coach 
to  Enniskillen.— Yom-s  invariably, 

J.    O'DOXOVAN 

Thomas  A.  Larcom,  Esq., 
Royal  Engineers, 
Phoenix  Park. 

'  This  Father  Bradley's  proper  name  was  John  O'Brollaghan.  The  following 
document  now  for  the  first  time  published  is  preserved  in  the  Irish  Record  Office 
Four  Courts,  Dublin  : — 

Coleraine,  March  lOtli,  1748. 

Sin,— I  received  your  orders,  and  in  obedience  to  his  Grace  the  Lord-Lieutenant 
and  Council's  command,  I  made  the  enquiry  desired,  and  find  there  is  one  John 


244  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

deponent  was  baptised  by  Mr.  M'Laughlin  ;  his  father  came  here  the 
year  of  the  big  frost,  was  married  here  by  Mr.  M'Laughlin,  he 
thinks  his  name  was  Henry  ;  he  baptised  13  children  for  his  parents  ; 
our  parish  priests  lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  Bann  ;  there  was 
Mass  in  Killowen  every  second  Sunday  ;  knows  Spittal  Hill ;  priest 
M'Lorinan  preached  there  with  vestments  on ;  saw  him  there,  he 
was  a  fair-haired  clever  man,  he  appeared  to  be  a  pious  good  man  ; 
this  only  occurred  once  to  his  knowledge  ;  his  name  was  Manus  Mor 
M'Lorinan  ;  knew  another  M'Lorinan,  out  of  his  senses  20  years 
afterwards,  he  did  not  say  Mass  ;  Manus  was  there  60  years  ago. 

David  M'Gonigal,  Solicitor,  examined — Is  aged  47  or  48  ;  was 
born  in  Inishowen  ;  (produced  a  variety  of  official  documents  from 
rectors,  Consistorial  Courts,  tithe  views,  maps,  &c. );  heard  about 
Mass  at  Spittal  Hill  once  every  six  weeks  ;  heard  this  7  or  10  years 
ago  and  more  ;  the  time  six  weeks  was  mentioned  since  the  interdict ; 
heard  about  Mass  at  Spittal  Hill,  but  not  of  the  six  weeks,  from 
Richard  M'Laughlan's  father,  a  man  of  an  old  respectable  family  ; 
he  described  to  deponent  the  priest's  horse  and  stable  ;  he  told  him 
of  another  Mass  station  at  the  Boiling  Well;  that  the  parish  priest  said 
Mass  at  one  hour  for  Lord  Antrim's  servants, and  at  another  houratthe 
Boiling  Well ;  if  Richard's  father  were  living  he  would  be  about  70  ; 
not  sure  that  he  heard  of  the  alternate  celebrations  until  lately  ; 
heard  from  many  that  there  was  a  regular  celebration  by  the  priests 
of  Down  and  Connor  ;  Mr.  Sinclair  told  him  this  ;  his  (Mr.  Sinclair's) 
father  used  to  give  the  priest  his  breakfast  and  a  place  for  his  horse  ; 
Richard's  father  was  a  zealous,  good-hearted  man,  who  would  not 
from  displeasure  against  the  priests  of  Coleraine  tell  the  story  ; 
never  heard  until  lately  Dr.  M'Devitt's  name  mentioned  ;  but  heard 
that  there  had  been  an  understanding  between  the  bishops  of  Down 

Brollaghan  of  Ballymenagh,  in  the  parish  of  Aghadooey,  wlio  is  a  popish  priest, 
and  have  heard  that  he  is  titular  Dean  of  the  diocese  of  Derry.  He  and  one  Duflfy, 
his  curate,  who  has  no  fixed  place  of  residence,  officiates  in  the  parishes  of  Agha- 
dooey,  Macosquin,  Killowen  and  Dunboe  in  the  fields,  there  being  no  Mass  Houses 
in  any  of  flie  places  where  they  celebrate  Mass. 
I  am  Sir, 

Your  most  humble  servant, 

WiiiT.TAM  Jackson; 
For  a  further  accoinitof  William  Jackson's  family  see  p.  215.  He  married  Frances, 
the  only  child  and  heiress  of  George  Byre,  of  Eyrescourt  Castle,  in  the  County  of 
Galway,  and  was  the  father  of  the  Rignt  Hon.  Richard  Jackson.  M. P.,  for  Cole- 
raine, who  married  Miss  O'Neill,  of  Shane's  Castle.  According  to  W.  Afazier  Sradj , 
E^nscopal  Succession,  vol.   1.  2>-   321,   there  is  preserved  among  the  Propaganda 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  245 

and  Derry,  empowering  the  Deny  clergy  to  do  duty  east  of  the  Bann  ; 
heard  this  from  Eichard  M'Laughlin's  father  and  others  many 
years  ago. 

John  M'Gonigal,  recalled — Is  the  third  child  of  his  parents,  the 
oldest  born  in  1760  ;  knew  the  priest  M'Laughlin,  who  baptised  him  ; 
his  name  was  Henry  ;  cannot  be  clear  whether  it  was  M  'Laughlin  or 
Walls ;  does  not  recollect  to  have  seen  Walls  ;  is  sure  he  saw 
M'Laughlin,  he  was  a  low-set  man  with  black  hair  ;  the  last  of  his 
family,  if  living,  would  be  40  years  old. 

Rev.  Bernard  M  'Auley,  P.  P. ,  Ballymena,  examined — Was  present 
during  Dr.  CroUy's  first  general  visitation  at  Rev.  Patrick  Brenan's, 
of  Culfeightriu,  when  Dr.  Crolly  asked  Mr.  Brenau  to  what  diocese 
Coleraine  belonged ;  he  answered  that  he  knew  it  belonged 
to  Connor,  and  that  his  own  uncle,  the  Ptev.  Arthur  Brenan, 
P.P.,  Rasharkin,  did  attend  Coleraine,  even  in  his  (Rev.  Patrick's) 
recollection  ;  Rev.  P.  Brennan  died,  aged  72,  he  was  then 
about  09  years  of  age,  his  uncle  died  in  1795,  having  been  40  years 
parish  priest  of  Rasharkin  ;  Rev.  Patrick  Brenan  said,  that  even  he 
himself  remembered  when  his  uncle  did  attend,  as  parish  priest, 
Coleraine  ;  four  years  ago  Dr.  Crolly  asked  Dan  O'Kane  to  state 
conscientiously  to  what  diocese  Coleraine  belonged  ;  Mr.  O'Kane 
replied — "it  entirely  belongs  to  you,  my  lord,  but  I  will  keep  it  from 
you  if  I  can  ; "  deponent  also  made  enquiries  during  the  last  nine 
years  from  all  sorts  of  people — one  was  Mr.  M'Gildoney,  90  years  of 
age ;  deponent  spoke  to  many  people  of  Coleraine,  all  east  of  the 
Bann,  except  Dan  O'Kane ;  the  foundation  of  deponent's  conviction 
was  Rev.  P.  Brenan,  a  venerable  clergyman,  being,  as  he  thinks,  a 
native  of  County  Derry  ;  his  conviction  was  confirmed  by  subsequent 
enquiries  ;  consulted  Mr.  M 'Henry  of  Coleraine  ;  cannot  say  who 
was  present  when  he  and  Dr.  Crolly  and  Mr.  Green  were  in  Miss 
Mooney's  ;  said  nothing  to  prove  that  Mr.  Green  took  possession  of 
the  parish. 

Rev.  John  Green  examined — Dr.  Crolly  said  in  Ballymoney,  that  he 

records  a  Brief,  dated  May  7th,  1749,  appointing  "John  Brullaughan  Dean  o£ 
Derry"  to  the  hishoprick  of  Derry,  in  succession  to  Dr.  Michael  O'Reilly,  translated 
to  Armagh-    Father  James  M'Loughlin  Brier'  Memoirs  of  llic  Bishops  of  Berry  p.  52, 

ays  of  him,  "  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover  any  record  of  his  consecration.      I* 

e  were  consecrated  Bishop  of  Derry  he  could  have  occupied  the  see  only  for  a  very 

short  period,  as  his  successor,  Patrick  Bradley,  or  O'BroUaghan.  (see  p  172),  was 

appointed  in  January,  1751,"     The  tradition  of  the  baptism,  which  occurred  about 

1751,  seems  to  indicate  that  he  declined  the  see  of  Derry.    See  the  evidence  given 

by  Thomas  Dempsey. 


246  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

had  an  intention  of  sending  deponent  on  an  apostolic  mission  to 
Coleraine  ;  came  with  Dr.  CroUy  to  Portstewart,  Portrush,  Coleraine, 
&c.  ;  was  told  to  celebrate  Mass  in  the  above  places — not  to  reside 
in  Coleraine,  but  rather  in  Portrush,  as  he  (Dr.  CroUy),  wished  the 
(juestion  of  Coleraine  to  be  brought  before  the  Pope  ;  Mr.  Curoe,  or 
Mr.  M'Auley  said,  it  would  be  better  to  reside  in  Coleraine  ;  thinks 
it  was  not  Dr.  Crolly's  wish  that  he  should  do  so  ;  Dr.  Crolly  did 
not  make  him  parish  priest  of  Coleraine,  he  only  wished  to  make  a  trial 
of  the  case— did  not  consider  himself  appointed  to  Coleraine,  but  was 
certain  that  he  was  appointed  to  Portrush  ;  had  instruction  to 
celebrate  Mass  in  Coleraine  on  the  following  Sunday  ;  and  Dr. 
Crolly  said  he  could  do  so,  as  there  was  a  concordat  between  the 
dioceses  about  conterminous  parishes,  wished  that  it  should  be  a  Sun- 
day Mass  ;  Eev.  Mr.  Bradley  entered  and  interdicted  the  place  ; 
deponent  wished  to  avoid  scandal,  and  did  not  celebrate  Mass  ; — 
the  interdict  was  on  paper  ;  had  no  directions  from  Dr.  Crolly  to 
celebrate  Mass  under  such  circumstances  ;  Dr.  Crolly  said  that  if 
they  interdicted  deponent  he  would  interdict  them  ;  deponent  told 
the  people  that,  in  order  to  avoid  scandal,  he  would  not  celebrate 
Mass  that  day  ;  then  wrote  to  Dr.  Crolly,  received  the  letter,  a 
portion  of  which  he  read  to  Piev.  Mr.  Magill,  and  told  him  to  con- 
sider that  announcement  as  official  ; — said  Mass  in  Coleraine  the 
Sunday  week  after  in  a  hay-loft,  and  again  in  his  own  room ;  there 
was  no  chapel  west  of  the  Bann  ;  Mass  was  celebrated  in  the  usual 
place,  the  new  chapel  west  of  the  Bann  was  commenced  ;  the  room 
during  his  Mass  was  pretty  well  filled  ;  married  a  couple,  the  girl 
belonged  to  Bushmills,  the  boy,  a  I'rotestant,  outside  the  Liberties  > 
thinks  he  would  have  married  and  baptised  persons  residing  in 
Coleraine  east  of  the  Bann,  none  applied  ;  stated  that  Dr.  Crolly 
required  them  to  receive  him  as  their  pastor  ;  he  preached. 

Rev.  P.  Bradley  examined — On  the  15th  of  May,  the  Thursday, 
after  Dr.  Crolly  and  Mr.  Green  came  to  Coleraine,  deponent  and  Kev. 
Mr.  Magill  went  to  Moville  to  Dr.  ]\I'Laughlin ;  stated  to  Dr. 
M'Laughlin  that  Dr.  Crolly  introduced  Mr.  Green  as  parish  priest  ; 
stated  this  from  report  ;  the  evening  Dr.  M'Laughlin  dictated  to 
deponent  the  interdict  ;  (it  was  here  read)  read  it  to  Mr.  Green  ;  he 
intended  the  interdict  to  extend  to  Portrush  and  Pcrtstewart  ; 
deponent  got  his  appointment  to  Coleraine  ;  Mould,  without  sorujile, 
marry  those  who,  though  outside  the  Liberties,  were  accustomed  to 
attend  himself  and  his  predecessors  ;  and  such  places  he  considered 
liable  to  the  interdict  ;  knew  no  priest  of  Derry  to  have  officiated  as 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  247 

far  as  the  Bush ;  the  first  interdict,  that  given  at  Moville,  was 
personal  ;  it  was  not  executed  then  ;  Dr.  M'Laughlin  wrote  to  him 
to  interdict  the  place  ;  in  the  present  document  the  word  place  was 
substituted  for  persons  in  the  first ;  heard  of  Spittal  Hill  only  of  late; 
the  people  say  that  Derry  priests  officiated  in  those  places  from  time 
immemorial. 

Neal  O'Hale  examined—Is  aged  84  ;  lives  at  present  at  Drumbo  ; 
lived  there  50  years  ;  before  that  time  lived  in  his  youth  in  Bally- 
rashane,  four  miles  east  of  the  Bann,  two  and  a  half  miles  from 
Bushmills  ;  his  father,  grandfather,  and  great  grandfather  lived 
there  ;  until  he  was  married  there  were  only  two  Catholic  families 
there  ;  in  his  youth,  from  12  to  20,  went  to  Mass  celebrated  once  a 
month  at  Ballymagarry,  sometimes  at  Killmoyle  ;  the  priests  who 
came  from  Loughguile  used  to  say  Mass  in  other  places,  and  send 
word  when  they  would  come ;  got  his  Sacrament  from  Mr. 
M'Laughlin  in  Coleraine  ;  never  heard  of  Mass  at  Spittal  Hill  ;  does 
not  know  the  Boiling  Well ;  his  father  attended  at  Dunluce  and 
Ballymagarry  with  the  Loughguile  clergymen;  he  himself  was 
married  before  he  came  to  Drumbo;  was  then  more  than  20  years 
old ;  made  his  Easter  confession  at  Ballymagarry  ;  was  a  parishoner 
of  the  Loughguile  priests ;  was  himself  married  by  Priest 
M'Auley  (P.P.,  Loughguile);  his  wife  was  from  Loughguile; 
Mr.  Mulholland  was  old,  or  he  would  have  come  to  the 
house  of  his  father-in-law  to  marry  him ;  in  his  young  days 
priests  M'Auley,  Fanning  (Mulholland  before  them),  came  to  Bally- 
magarry ;  the  supply  of  clergy  came  from  Loughguile  ;  a  Bobberi/ 
Cut  was  sworn  on  the  llomans,  when  there  were  few  Catholics  in 
Coleraine,  the  Protestants  paid  none  of  it ;  in  Ballywillin  parish 
there  was  then  only  one  Catholic  who  perverted  to  avoid  paying  it ; 
he  knew  in  Coleraine  only  three  Catholic  families  east  of  the  Bann; 
Begley,  M'Dade,  and  Cramsie  ;  never  knew  any  Catholics  in  Port, 
rush  but  one,  who  remained  two  years,  nor  of  any  in  Portstewart  ; 
was  confirmed  at  Bushmills  ;  does  not  know  by  what  bishop,  but  the 
priest  who  accompanied  him  slept  in  his  house,  and  had  a  night- 
mare, he  was  drowned  the  next  day,  he  was  Mr.  M'Dade,  he  came 
from  Moss-side,  Co.  Donegal,  the  bishop  came  from  Lough  Neagli 
side,  was  a  tall  handsome  man,  deponent  was  a  grown-up  man  then  ; 
knew  no  Catholic  outside  Coleraine  ;  the  Begley s,  M'Dades,  and 
Cramsies  got  Sacraments  in  Coleraine  ;  what  would  take  them  to 
Ballymagarry  ? — they  were  not  like  us  seeking  for  clergy  ;  heard  of 
Rev.  A.   Brenan,  never  saw  him  ;  Mr.   Fanning  slept  twenty  nights 


248  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

in  his  house,  one  mile  from  the  Bush  river  ;  Mr.  Fanning  was  two 
years  in  Bushmills  after  the  chapel  was  built  by  Mr.  Fegan  ;  does 
not  know  who  succeeded  Mr.  Fanning,  as  he  left  for  Co.  Derry, 
thinks  it  was  Mr.  Lynn  ;  knew  Neal  Harkin  right  well  ;  he  was 
clerk  for  the  priests  many  a  day  at  Bushmills,  Ballymagarry, 
Dunluce,  &c.,  he  was  born  at  Dunluce,  taught  school  there,  and 
travelled  with  goods  ;  Mr.  M'Laughlin  baptised  deponent's  first 
child,  which  was  born  before  he  left  Ballyrashane ;  had  four 
children  before  he  came  to  Derry  side  ;  Mr.  Lynn  and  ]\Ir.  Fanning 
baptised  the  others  ;  there  was  no  priest  in  Dunluce  when  his  first 
was  born. 

John  M'Donagh  examined — Is  74  years  of  age  ;  lived  east  of  the 
Bann  for  50  years  ;  was  part  of  that  time  in  Dublin  ;  was  confirmed 
when  a  child  by  the  Bishop  of  Derry  ;  people  always  went  to  the 
Bishop  of  Derry  for  Confirmation  ;  knew  Rev.  Mr.  M'Laughlin,  who 
married  him  to  a  girl  east  of  the  Bann  50  years  ago  ;  no  Mass  at 
Spittal  Hill,  nor  at  the  Boiling  Well  in  his  time,  nor  in  that  of  his 
father,  or  he  would  have  heard  of  it ;  permission  was  given  through 
a  Mr.  Richardson,  and  a  chapel  was  built  at  Burnside  before 
deponent  was  born  ;  in  his  young  days  there  was  no  talk  about, 
bishops,  they  were  glad  to  get  priests  ;  was  21  when  he  was  married 
53  years  ago;  Mr.  M'Laughlin  married  him;  Mr.  Rogers  baptised 
him ;  remembers  Rev.  Henry  Walls  aud  Rev.  -John  Walls  ;  re- 
members Rev.  Joseph  Ward  ;  does  not  remember  Friar  Bradley  ;  his 
father-in-law  was  Richard  M'Laughlin's  grandfather  ;  there  were  no 
Catholics  in  Coleraine  to  entertain  a  priest ;  on  Saturdays  a  priest 
left  Coleraine  and  went  to  Bushmills  ;  there  were  several  clergymen 
here  in  those  days,  among  them  Friar  M  'Cambridge.  Deponent's 
father  told  him  of  an  accident  that  occurred  at  Spittal  Hill — a  man 
named  Murphy  said  to  him,  do  not  touch  that  rock,  or  you  will  be 
blown  up,  for  my  father  many  a  time  kept  watch  when  Mass  was 
being  said  there,  two  priests  said  Mass  there  whom  Murphy's  father 
knew,  one  was  Manus  Mor  M'Lorinan,  he  thinks  he  did  not  know 
the  name  of  the  other  ;  a  man  named  Peacock  told  deponent  that  his 
grandfather  was  fond  of  Manus,  and  used  to  entertain  him  at  his 
house  ;  heard  from  deponent's  father  that  Mass  was  celebrated  at  the 
Boiling  Well,  that  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  Bann  ;  thinks  that  all 
the  clergy  who  said  mass  at  Spittal  Hill  were  from  Ballymagarry  ; 
deponent  was  often  told  by  his  father  that  Coleraine  belonged  to 
Connor ;  his  father  was  in  town  when  the  old  chapel  was  built ;  his 
father  offered  a  piece  of  ground  on  the  east  side  of  the  Bann  to  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  249 

Catholics  if  Mr.  Lyle,  the  landlord  would  consent,  they  would  not 
take  it  lest  the  Bishop  of  Connor  would  take  it  from  them  ;  this  re- 
jection of  the  place  occurred  the  year  before  Killowen  chapel  was 
built  .  .  .  Rev.  Charles  M'Caffrey  here  stated  that  he  does  not 
remember  that  the  site  on  the  east  side  was  proposed  ;  it  would  not 
be  central. 

The  Primate  made  his  report  to  the  Sacred  Congregation 
de  Propaganda,  which  issued  its  decree  in  favour  of  the 
Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor,  on  26th  of  January,  1835,  and 
Pope  Gregory  XVI.  confirmed  it  on  the  1st  of  February, 
1835.     The  following  is  the  text  of  the  decree  : — 

DECRETUM. 

SacrcB    Congegationis    Generalis    de    Propaganda    Fide  habitoe  die 

26  Januarii  anno  1835. 


Cum  R.P.D.  Petrus  MacLaughlin,  Episcopus  Derriensis,  et  R.P.D. 
Guillelmus  Crolly,  Episcopus  Duuensis  and  Conuorensis,  in  Hibernia, 
Sacrce  Congregationi  judicandum  attulerint  controversiam  inter 
ipsos  exortam  de  jurisdictionis  Diocesauoe  pertinentia  in  paroeciam 
circa  fines  Diocesium  Derriensis  and  Conuorensis  constitutani,  qaoe 
dicitur  de  Coleraine,  Sacra  Congegatio  Generalis  de  Propaganda  Fide 
habita  die  26  Januarii  anno  1835.  referente  Emo.  et  Pi^mo.  Duo. 
Jacobo  Philippo  S.R.E.  Cardinale  Fransonio  Sacrce  Congregationis 
Prcefecto,  rationum  momentis  utrinque  adductis,  mature  perpensis, 
et  juridico  examine  de  re  tota  instituto,  censuit  et  decrevit  Paroeciam 
de  Coleraine  appellatam  ad  R.P.D.  Episcopi  Conuorensis  jurisdictio- 
nem  Diocesanam  spectare.  Hanc  auteni  Sacroi  Congregationis  sen- 
tentiam  SSmo.  Domino  Nostro  Gregorio  Div.  Provid.  P.P.  XVI. 
relatam  per  Po.P.D.  Angelum  Maium  Secretarium  in  audientia  diei  1 
Februarii  anni  1835   Sanctitas  Sua  benigne  in  omnibus  confirmavit. 

Datum  RomcB  ex   aed.  die.    Sac    Cong'nis   die  14  Februarii  anni 
1835.     Gratis  sine  ulla  omnino  solutione  quocumque  titulo. 
J.  Ph.  Card.  Fransonius  Prces^ 
A.   Maius  Secrus 

The  Rev.  John  Green  was  born  in  the  townland  of  Glovat, 
in  the  parish  of  Ballykinlar,  on  the  22nd  of  October,  1806, 
After  receiving  a  preliminary  education  in  the  schools  of 
Mr.  M'Kee,  Castlewellan,  and  Dr.  Nelson,  Downpatrick,  he 


250  DIOCESE  or  connor. 

entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  on  the 
24th  of  August,  1829  ;  was  ordained  by  Dr.  Murray,  in  the 
Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  Dublin,  on  the  30th 
of  October,  1832  ;  was  appointed  to  the  Curacy  of  Belfast ; 
thence  to  the  Curacy  of  E,asharkin,  where,  on  the  24th  of 
January,  1834,  the  people  of  every  religious  denomination 
presented  to  him,  through  the  hands  of  the  Protestant 
minister,  Mr.  Dickson,  a  valuable  present,  and  address,  in 
which  they  stated,  that  he  not  only  attended  as  a  clergyman 
those  attacked  by  the  cholera,  with  which  that  parish  had 
been  terribly  afflicted,  but  also  that  he  administered  medicine 
to  them,  and  when  they  died,  and  their  nearest  relatives 
were  afraid  to  go  near  their  remains,  he  put  them  into 
coflSns,  carried  them  to  a  cart,  which  he  drove  to  the  grave- 
yard, warning,  as  he  went  along,  those  whom  he  met  to  leave 
the  road  in  order  to  avoid  the  pestilence,  and  that  frequently 
unassisted  he  interred  them.  From  Rasharkin  Father 
Green  was  appointed  to  the  Curacy  of  Culfeightrin  ;  thence 
he  was  appointed,  on  the  12th  of  May,  1834,  to  the  parish 
consisting  of  the  Bushmills  and  Portrush  districts,  which 
were  then  separated  from  Bally  money.  He  received 
directions  to  say  Mass  in  Coleraine,  but  was  not  appointed 
to  that  parish  until  after  the  decree  of  the  Propaganda.  He 
erected  the  church  of  Coleraine,  and  the  walls  of  that  of 
Bushmills.  Father  Creen  contributed  sevei'al  stories  and 
other  literary  articles  to  the  Belfast  Vindicator,  and  to  the 
Downpatrick  Recorder.  He  died  of  consumption  at  his 
father's  residence  in  Castlewellan,  on  the  26th  of  March, 
]841,  and  his  x-emains  were  interred  in  Ballykinlar. 

While  Father  Green  was  collecting  for  his  churches,  and 
when  he  was  necessitated  through  sickness  to  retire  to  his 
father's  residence,  which   occurred  in  Nov.,  1840,  the  parish 


THE    PARISH    OF    COLERAINE.  251 

was  administered  by  Father  Loughran,  a  priest  belonging  to 
the  diocese  of  Armagh,  who  afterwards  officiated  in  France. 
A  iter  Father  Green's  death  the  parish  was  administered 
during  the  long  interval  that  elapsed  before  the  appointment 
of  a  parish  priest,  by  Kev,  Patrick  Dorrian,  and  after  his 
appointment  toBallycastle,  by  Rev.  James  J.  Hughes,  a  priest 
belonging  to  the  diocese  of  Armagh,  who  afterwards 
officiated  in  Randalstown,  The  Rev.  Rowland  M'Gill  also 
officiated  for  a  short  time.  At  length,  on  the  17th  of  March, 
1844,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Kearney  was  appointed  parish  priest. 

Father  Kearney  was  born  in  Feb.  1815,  in  the  townland  of 
Ballybrannagh,  in  the  parish  of  Bailee  ;  after  studying  in  the 
Diocesan  College,  Belfast,  he  entered,  on  the  27th  of  Aug., 
1835,  the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth ;  was 
ordained  in  the  college  on  the  3rd  of  February,  1839,  by 
Dr.  Healey,  bishop  of  Kildare ;  was  appointed  curate  of 
Belfast,  from  which  he  was  appointed  parish  priest  of 
Coleraine,  on  the  17th  of  March,  1844  ;  he  completed  the 
church  of  Bushmills,  and  erected  that  of  Portrush.  When 
he  was  engaged  in  erecting  these  churches,  he  was  assisted 
in  the  parish,  in  1845,  by  Father  M'Sorley,  and  in  1847,  by 
Father  M'Shane,  priests  belonging  to  the  diocese  of  Armagh. 
Father  Keai-ney  was  appointed  in  April,  1848,  to  Culfeightrin. 
The  districts  attached  to  the  churches  of  Bushmills  and 
Portrush  were  then  severed  from  Coleraine,  and  constituted 
a  separate  parish,  to  which  the  Rev.  John  Cunningham  was 
appointed,  and  the  parish  of  Coleraine  was  conferred  on  the 
Rev.  Richard  Killen. 

Father  Killen  was  born  in  the  townland  of  Tollumgrange, 
in  the  parish  of  Dunsford.  He  entered  the  Rhetoric  Class, 
in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  on  the  26th  of  August,  1833; 
was  ordained  in  the  chapel  of  the  college  by  Dr.  Healy,  on 


252  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

the  3i'd  of  February,  1839,  was  shortly  afterwards  appointed 
curate  to  his  brother.  Father  James  Killen,  P.P.,  Balee  ; 
was  appointed,  on  the  23rd  of  May,  1842,  Administrator  of 
Ballykinhir  during  a  portion  of  the  time  when  Father  Curoe 
was  professor  of  classics  in  the  Diocesan  College  :  was  ap- 
pointed, on  the  12th  of  April,  1847,  Administrater  of 
Lisburn,  at  that  time  vacant  by  the  death  of  Father  Bernard 
Dorrian ;  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Coleraine,  on  the 
20th  of  April,  1848,  In  addition  to  other  improvements 
he  erected  the  chancel  of  Coleraine  chur-ch,  he  retained  the 
parish  until  the  14th  of  October,  1856,  when  he  accepted 
the  parish  of  Bright. 

Father  Killen  was  succeeded  by  Father  Alexander 
MacMullan.  He  was  born  on  the  18th  of  August, 
1827,  in  SeavaghaU;  in  the  parish  of  Loughinisland  ; 
studied  in  the  Diocesan  College ;  entei'ed  the  Rhetoric 
Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  on  the  8th  of  October, 
1845;  was  ordained  by  Dr.  Whelan  in  Clarendon  Street 
Chapel,  Dublin,  on  the  3rd  of  May,  1851  3  was  appointed 
curate  of  Cushendall,  on  the  7th  of  June,  1851  ;  parish 
priest  of  Rathlin,  on  the  4th  of  March,  1853,  and 
parish  priest  of  Coleraine,  on  the  14th  of  October,  1856, 
Father  MacMullan  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Antrim, 
on  the  26th  of  February,  1877. 

The  present  parish  priest,  Rev.  John  Carroll,  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  vacant  parish.  Father  Carroll  was  born  in 
the  County  of  Kilkenny,  in  January,  1837  ;  studied  in  the 
St.  Kyran's  College,  Kilkenny ;  entered  the  Logic  Class  in 
the  College  of  Maynooth,  January  30th,  1858  ;  was  ordained 
in  the  College  of  AH  Hallows,  on  the  Feast  of  Corpus 
Christi,  1861,  along  with  Father  Michael  Fitzpatrick,  after- 
wards of  the  Diocesan  College,  and  Father  Patrick  Power, 


THE  PARISH  OF    COLERAINE.  253 

afterwards  of  St.  Mary's,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Grimley  Bishop  of 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  ;  was  appointed  curate  of  Derraghy  ; 
was  appointed  curate  of  Cushendall,Sep.  3rd,  1862;  appointed 
curate  of  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  in  October,  1866 ;  was  appointed, 
on  the  9th  of  June,  1873,  parish  priest  of  Rasharkin,  which  he 
did  not  accept,  on  account  of  the  amount  of  debt  then  due  on 
that  parish  ;  was  appointed,  in  July,  1873,  parish  priest  of 
Armoy,  and  on  the  5th  of  April,  1877,  he  was  appointed  to 
the  parish  of  Coleraine. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Catholics  of  Coleraine,  during  times  of  persecution, 
attended  at  the  celebration  of  Mass  at  Spittal  Hill,  and 
sometimes  at  the  Boiling  Well ;  they  also  attended  at  such 
places  in  the  parish  of  Killowen,  as  the  Catholics  of  that 
parish  attended.*     Father  Green,  in  1834,  invited  them  to 

*  As  the  priests  of  Killowen  and  the  parishes  united  to  it  had  for 
a  long  time  the  spiritual  charge  of  Coleraine,  it  may  not  be  out  of 
place  to  give  the  succession  of  the  parish  priests  of  that  parish  since 
the  Revolution — Father  Terence  Eogers  was  parish  priest  at  the 
period  of  the  Revolution  (see  p.  241)  ;  he  is  the  Turlough  M'Rory, 
who  in  1704,  was  54  years  of  age,  residing  in  Dunlogan,  and  then 
parish  priest  of  Ballynascreen.  Father  Cornelius  M'Laughlin  was  P.P. 
in  1704  (see  p.  234) ;  John  Bradley  or  O'Brollaghan  was  Dean  of 
Derry  and  P.P.  in  1743  (see  p.  243)  ;  Mathew  Rogers  or  M'Rory 
died  in  1767  (see  p.  241)  ;  Fathers  Henry  Walls,  John  Walls,  John 
M'Laughlin,  James  AVard,  Mathias  MTuskar,  Patrick  M'Kenna, 
Bernard  M'Namee,  Charles  M'Caffery,  from  1802  till  1806.  James 
Quin  ;  Patrick  O'Kane  died  in  1828  ("  Our  Parish  Roman  Catholic 
Priest  died  during  our  absence,  and  was  attended  to  the  grave  by  the 
most  numerous  assembly  that  ever  was  sent  to  follow  a  funeral  in 
Coleraine,  and  these  principally  Protestants  ;  all  our  clergymen  of 
the  Establishment,  and  the  Presbyterians ;  Seceders  and  Methodists- 
all  attended — scarfs  and  hatbands  .  .  I  wish  our  newspaper 
friends  would  insert  the  account  of  this  funeral  to  the  credit  side  of 
Coleraine."— Lf«ej-  in  the  Chronicle,  Ain-ll  22nd,  1828.     Fathers  Paul 


254  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

come  to  his  own  room,  where  they  heard  Mass,  until  he 
obtained  the  use  of  a  store  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the 
street  leading  from  the  Diamond  towards  Portstewart. 
That  store  continued  to  be  used  for  the  celebration  of  Mass 
until  the  chui'ch  was  erected.  He  obtained  from  The 
Society  of  the  Governors  and  Assistants,  London,  of  the  New 
Plantation  in  Ulster  (the  Irish  Society)  a  lease,  dated  29  th 
of  September,  1836,  for  900  years,  of  a  plot  of  ground,  85 
feet  by  106  feet,  situated  then  in  the  most  out-of-the-way  part 
of  the  town.  The  Hon.  tlie  Irish  Society  fixed  the  annual  rent 
of  that  then  miserable  plot  at  the  exorbitant  rent  of  £6  10s, 

Bradley,  Daniel  Dogherty,  Charles  Flanagan,  (born  about  17  98 
ordained  in  1829,  was  C.C.  of  Laway,  C.C.  Culdaff,  C.C.  Buncrana, 
appointed  P.P.  Killowen  in  1843,  built  the  church  of  Duuboe  ; 
appointed  parish  priest  of  Dungiven  on  the  20th  of  August,  1863,) 
Father  Edward  Dolierty,  the  succeeding  P.P.,  died  March  25th, 
1873.  Father  Henry  Henry  was  appointed  June  19th,  1873,  and  on 
his  appointment  to  the  parish  of  Ballynascreen,  October,  1884,  the 
present  parish  priest,  Father  O'Brien  was  appointed. 

CJmrch  Mass  was  celebrated  in  the  fields  previous  to  1743  (see 
p.  243),  and  generally  at  the  Binn-Slde,  Killowen,  where  a  chapel 
was  built  about  1760,  by  the  kind  permission  of  Mr.  Richardson. 
That  old  chapel  was  replaced  by  the  present  church,  the  building  of 
which  was  completed  about  the  date  of  the  separation  of  Coleraine 
from  Killowen.  *'  Father  Daniel  O'Dogherty  gratefully  acknow- 
ledges the  gift  of  £20  from  Lord  Garvagh,  who  has  no  property  in 
the  parish,  and  hopes  that  his  example  will  induce  the  other 
proprietors  and  Companies,  who  have  not  hitherto  subscribed,  to 
follow  the  example."—  Whig,  April  20th,  1835.  Nearly  opposite  the 
Catholic  Church  of  Killowen  is  the  Gallow's  Hill,  which  an  ex- 
perienced antiquarian  at  once  recognises  as  an  ancient  Funereal 
Mound.  In  the  vicinity  of  it,  as  was  customary,  the  ancient  parish 
church  of  Killowen  was  erected  on  the  site  at  present  occupied  by  the 
Protestant  School-house.  Its  ancient  Holy  Well,  now  dishonoured 
and  unclean,  lies,  vaulted  over  with  an  arch,  along  the  south  side  of 
a  little  lane  at  the  south  end  of  the  graveyard.  That  lane  was 
once  the  great  road  leading  from  the  Ferry  towards  Derry. 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLERAINE.  255 

and  on  it  be  was  bound  to  erect  within  ten  years,  a  church, 
according  to  a  plan  agreed  upon  ;  the  lease  was  to  become 
Yoid  if  the  premises  were  to  cease  for  two  years  to  be  used 
as  a  church.  The  edifice  was  designed  in  the  old  English 
style  of  ecclesiastical  architecture,  by  William  Tite,  Esq.,  of 
London,  and  the  plans  were  presented  by  the  Irish  Society^ 
The  foundation  stone  was  laid  on  the  vigil  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist,  1836,  by  John  Claudius  Beresford,  Esq.  Among 
the  many  munificent  donations  which  Father  Green  received 
towards  the  erection  of  the  church  was  £50  from  John 
Leslie  Alexander,  Esq.,  D.L. 

The  Church  "was  solemnly  dedicated  on  the  7th  of  June, 
1840,  under  the  invocation  of  St.  Malachy  by  Dr.  Denvir, 
assisted  by  the  Most  Rev.  John  M'Laughlin,  Coajutor 
Bishop  of  Derry.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Denvir, 
and  the  collection  on  the  occasion  amounted  to  <£57.  High 
Mass  was  celebrated  by  Father  Green.  Father  M'Garry, 
P.P.,  Ballymena,  was  deacon,  and  Father  M'Cartan,  P.P., 
Ballymoney,  was  sub-deacon.  There  were  present  Fathers 
Peter  M'Mullan;  P.P.,  Rasharkin  ;  John  M'Kenna,  P.P., 
Maghera;  Edward  Kelly,  P.P.,Errigal  ;  Luke  Walsh,  P.P., 
Culfeightrin  ;  Henry  M'Laughlin,  P.P.,  Loughguile ;  John 
Fitzsimons,  P.P.,  Layde. 


PARISH   OF    PORTUDSH. 

^oX*:;©* 

THE  parish  of  Povtrusli  extends  over  the  civil  parishes  of 
Bally willan  and  Dunluce,  together  with  the  parts  of 
the  civil  parishes  of  Ballyaghran  and  Ballyrashane,  which 
are  not  united  with  Coleraine,  and  the  part  of  the  civil 
parish  of  Billy,  which  is  not  united  with  the  Catholic 
parish  of  Ballymouey. 

The  civil  parish  of  Ballyraghan — (for  the  remainder  of 
this  civil  parish,  see  p.  223).  The  Ordnance  Map,  Sheet  3, 
enters  Site  of  Burial  Ground  in  the  townland  of  Roserelick- 
more ;  this  and  the  adjoining  townland  of  Roserelick-beg, 
were  formerly  better  named  Rosrelick — Ros-Roilge,  '  Point 
of  the  Cemetery.'  Here  quantities  of  human  bones  have 
been  found,  and  there  still  exists  a  tradition  that  there 
was  there  a  church.  The  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  enters, 
"  The  church  of  Roserlick  is  worth,  over  and  above  service, 
40^1."  The  Terrier  enters,  "Capella  de  Rosroylooke  is  a 
member  of  Kells,  but  Sir  Randal  keeps  it ;  it  has  4  acres 
»lebe,  and  pays  Proxies,  5/- ;  Refections,  5/- ;  Synodals, 
2/-."  The  Ulster  Visitation  Book  of  1622  enters,  "  Grange 
de  Rossrolike  Church,  noe  walls  nor  knowne  to  be  there. 
The  two  parts  thereof  impropriate  to  the  Abbey  of  Kells 
possess'd  by  the  Earle  of  Antrym."  The  word  servitium — 
'  service,'  which  occurs  in  the  entry  in  the  Taxation  of  Pojye 
Nicholas  denotes,  that  at  the  period  of  the  taxation  the 
church  was  under  one  of  the  great  monasteries,  perhaps  as 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRQSH.  257 

at  the  dissolution  that  of  Kells.  James  I,  granted,  on  the 
20tb  of  July,  in  the  3rd  year  of  his  reign,  the  rectorial 
tithes  of  this  church,  along  with  the  other  dependencies  of 
Kells,  to  Sir  James  Hamilton,  who  at  the  10th  of  the 
following  April,  transferred  this  grant  to  Sir  Arthur 
Chichester ;  but  an  Inquisition  taken  at  Carrickfergus, 
April  the  5th,  1621,  found  that  this  church  was  not  in  the 
possession  of  Chichester — IJlst.  Inq.  It  would  seem  that 
the  influence  of  Lord  Antrim  was  two  powerful  even  for 
Chichester.  The  Ordnance  Map  enters,  in  the  townland  of 
Ballygelagh  West,  Priest's  Hock,  as  the  name  of  a  rock 
along  the  shore.  A  few  perches  east  of  it,  in  Ballygelagh 
East,  is  Hohj  Well  Fort,  and  a  little  south  of  it  is  the 
Hol^  Well.  The  following  is  from  the  Ordnance  Survey 
Memoir  M.S.,  hij  Thomas  Fagav,  1835  : — 

In  the  townland  of  Craigtown-more  there  was  a  fort,  75  feet  in 
diameter,  which  is  now  nearly  destroyed  ;  a  cave  extends  under  it, 
but  the  entrance  to  it  is  filled  up.  In  Maddybenny  there  are  the 
remains  of  a  circular  fort,  which  was  erected  on  a  small  basaltic 
knoll,  which,  with  the  addition  of  earth  and  stones,  made  up  the  fort. 
It  is  now  much  injured,  part  of  the  rock  has  been  quarried,  and  part 
of  the  earth  carted  away  ;  during  these  operations  a  cave  extending 
east  and  west  was  discovered  ;  a  part  of  it,  25  feet  long,  yet  remains; 
and  of  this  16  feet  on  the  eastern  side  was  cut  through  the  solid  rock. 
It  is  said  that  a  bottle  and  a  piece  of  silk,  which  fell  to  powder  when 
exposed  to  the  air,  were  found  in  the  cave  when  it  was  first  dis- 
covered. There  was  a  cave  in  Galvally,  but  it  has  been  destroyed  ; 
and  there  are  three  caves  in  Ballyleese  North,  which  are  at  present 
closed  ;  in  one  of  them,  it  is  said,  brass  buckles  and  "Danish  pipes  " 
were  discovered,  about  the  year  1795. 

The  civil  parish  of  Ballywillin.  In  the  Taxatian  of  Pope 
Nicholas  "  The  Church  of  Portrossce"  is  valued  at  £25  4s  8d, 
which  comparatively  high  valuation  sliows  that  the  church 
must  have  been  then  possessed  of  extensive  property.  Dr. 
Reeves  Eccl.  Antiq.   p.   76,   says,  "  The  town  of  Portrush 


258  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

{Port  ruis)  'port  of  the  promontory'),  which  gives  to  the 
parish  the  name  in  the  Taxation,  is  so  called  from  the 
harbour,  which  is  situate  on  S.  W,  side  of  the  long  narrow 
basaltic  promontory  running  into  the  sea,  which  is  locally 
called  Ramore  or  Rathmore.  At  the  root  of  this  tongue  of 
land,  about  midway  between  the  Baths  and  the  Police 
Barracks  stood  the  Church.  The  writer  happened  to  be 
here  in  October,  1845,  when  excavations  were  being  made 
for  the  foundations  of  some  houses,  and,  from  the  numerous 
human  bones  turned  up,  had  ocular  proof  of  the  correctness 
of  the  tradition."  In  1882  regular  undisturbed  interments 
were  found  in  making  sewers  through  the  principal  streets 
In  1305  the  advowson  of  Portros  was  granted  to  Richard 
de  Burgo. — Inq.  ad  Q.D.  33.  Ed.  1.  It  is  remarkable  that 
the  Church  of  Ballywillin  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Taxation 
of  Pope  Nicholas.  Dr.  Mant,  Protestant  Bishop,  in  the 
To^ansactions  of  the  Down  and  Connor  Church  Architecture 
Society  (Belfast,  1884),  ascribes  the  date  of  the  erection  of 
that  church  to  the  eleventh  or  twelfth  century,  but  from 
its  remains  it  seems  more  recent  even  than  the  year 
1305,  and  probably  replaced  the  more  ancient  church  in 
Portrush.  It  is  85  feet  long  and  23  feet  wide  in  the 
inside.  In  the  eastern  gable  there  were  long  lancet  windows, 
the  heads  of  which  are  still  to  be  seen  above  the  tasteless 
window  which  replaced  them  ',  in  each  of  the  side  walls  there 
was  towards  the  east  end  a  small  lancet  window,  another 
small  lancet  window  appears  above  one  of  the  comparatively 
modern  windows  in  the  south  side,  and  the  corresponding 
one  still  remains  in  the  north  sidewall.  The  western  gable 
is  lighted  by  a  long  lancet  window  widely  splayed  towards 
the  inside.  There  are  two  doors,  one  in  the  south  sidewall 
having  a  semicircular  arch,  and  one  in  the  north  sidewall 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTKUSH.  259 

having  a  pointed  arch.  In  the  eastern  gable  on  each  side 
of  the  site  of  the  altar  is  a  recess ;  that  on  the  epistle 
side  was  the  Piscina,  it  has  a  round  head,  and  that  on  the 
gospel  side  had  a  triangular  head,  and  was  the  Aumbry,  in 
which  the  sacred  vessels  were  kept.  Its  seven  narrow 
lancets  gave  to  the  church  a  quiet  and  religious  light  far 
more  conducive  to  piety  than  the  glare  of  our  modern  churches. 
This  interesting  ruin  is  well  deserving  of  preservation. 
Ballywillin  (baile  mhuillin  pron.  Willin^  '  town  of  the 
mill')  is  entered  Mylton,  or  Miltone  in  old  documents. 
Ballywillin  is  not  taxed  in  the  Terrier,  perhaps  because  it 
belonged  to  some  of  the  religious  orders,  probably  the 
Hospitallers,  but  that  document  gives  a  list  of  lands, 
"  challenged  as  glebe  landes  belonging  to  the  several 
churches,  or  as  termon  and  er-inoth  lands,"  in  which  it 
claims  9  carcucates  for  Milltown.*  The  Ulster  Visitation 
Booh  of  1622  i-eports,  "  Ecclesia  de  Milltowne  decayed." 
It  seems  to  have  been  repaired  for  Protestant  service  after 
that  period,  when  the  windows  of  the  fourteenth  century 
were  altered  or  built  up  to  make  room  for  broad  and 
round-headed  windows. 

"  A  Circle  of  Stones  is  said  to  have  stood  in  Ciossreagh,  but  it 
has  long  since  been  destroyed  Only  two  raths  can  be  traced  in  the 
County  Derry  portion  of  the  parish — one  in  Killygreene  Upper,  of  an 
oval  shape,  60  ft.  by  40,  built  of  earth  and  stones;  its  parapet  composed 
entirely  of  stones  is  12  feet  in  width  and  10  feet  high  at  the  west 
side  ;  part  of  the  rath  has  been  carted  away,  The  second  rath  was 
in  Islandmore  Upper,  but  it  can  only  be  traced  by  a  swelling  of  the 

*  It  "  challenges"  for  Billey  II  carcucates  ;  for  Ballymoney  11  do.; 
for  Coleraine  7  do.  ;  for  Ballyaghran  7  do.  ;  for  Milltown  9  do.  ;  for 
Portcammon  20  acres ;  for  Ballyrashane  2  carucates  ;  for  Derry- 
keighan  2  do.  ;  for  Culfeightrin  15  acres .  for  Eamoan  15  acres  ;  for 
Loughguile  "2  villas;''  for  Killagan  2  carucates;  for  Dunaghy 
20  acres. 


260  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

ground,  as  it  has  been  laboured  over.  There  was  a  cave  in  Killy- 
greene  Upper,  but  it  has  been  destroyed.  Another  cave  in  the 
same  townland  was  opened  in  1832,  and  shortly  afterwards  closed. 
There  is  also  a  cave  in  the  townland  of  Glebe,  which  was  opened  at  one 
extremity,  but  it  presented  nothing  remarkable  ;  there  were  formerly 
in  this  townland  two  forts,  which  are  now  destroyed.  There  are  two 
standing  stones  in  Corrstown,  one  in  Crossreagh,  and  a  fourth  in 
Cloghorr  ;  the  two  first  and  the  two  last  are  respectively  in  straight 
lines  with  a  monument  of  antiquity  called  Crossreagh,  which  consists 
of  an  artificial  excavation  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  The  Standing  Stone 
in  Cloghorr  (Clogh-oir  '  the  stone  of  gold')  is  so  named  because  its 
surface  is  yellow.  It  is  4  feet  high,  24  feet  broad,  and  2  feet  thick. 
On  the  same  hill  are  two  caves  ;  there  is  another  cave  in  the  same 
townland  in  the  farm  of  John  Douglas,  but  it  is  now  closed.  On  the 
summit  of  a  small  hill  called  Carnagh,  in  the  townland  of  Craig- 
hulliar  there  were  several  square  pavements,  beneath  which  were 
found  vaults  enclosed  with  stones  ;  in  these  were  earth,  ashes,  and 
decayed  bones  ;  quern  stones  were  found  in  the  same  hill.  There  is 
a  cave  in  James  M  'Cann's  farm  in  Corbally.  There  is  a  cave  in  a 
ruined  fort  in  the  farm  of  Thomas  Clarke  in  Knockertotan  ;  the  fort 
is  35  yards  in  diameter.  The  remains  of  a  circular  enclosure,  sup- 
posed sepulchral,  27  feet  iu  diameter,  enclosed  by  a  circle  of  large 
stones,  about  half  of  which  still  remain,  and  stand  from  one  to  three 
feet  above  the  surface,  may  be  seen  within  a  few  yards  east  of 
DunmuU,  a  basaltic  hill  in  the  townland  of  Toberdornan.  The 
ground  is  occupied  partly  by  a  garden  and  partly  by  a  farmyard 
opposite  to  the  house  of  David  Campbell.  On  the  west  side  of 
Dunmull,  and  within  a  few  yards  of  its  base,  is  a  large  stone,  3  feet 
long  and  1^  feet  broad,  which  has  an  oval  hole,  locally  called  the 
'Giant's  Head  Track,' sunk  on  its  upper  surface.  The  hole  is  11 
inches  by  10,  and  is  7  inches  deep.  On  the  east  side  of  the  hill 
there  is  a  stone  in  which  there  is  a  depression  resembling  the  print 
of  a  human  foot.  This  is  called  the  '  Giant's  Foot  Track. '  On  the 
west  side  of  the  hill  are  remains  of  ancient  fences  and  enclosures  ; 
similar  works  occur  on  the  east  side  and  on  the  top.  These  are 
ruined  parapets  of  stones  and  earth,  rising  from  one  to  five  feet,  and 
sometimes  sixteen  feet  broad."     See  Ordnance  Survey  Memoir  MS. 

A  small  portion  of  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  castle  of 
Dunferte,  now  only  known  by  the  name  of  the  Castle  of 
Ballyreagh,  the  townland  in  which  it  is  situated,  stands  at 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  261 

the  Black  hill,  on  the  coast  between  Portstewart  and  Port- 
nish.  There  now  remains  only  a  portion  of  the  south  wall, 
six  feet  in  thickness  and  perforated  by  three  loop  holes.  A 
breach  in  this  wall  may  be  conjectured  to  have  been  the 
entrance.  From  the  extreme  eastern  end  of  the  wall,  where 
it  is  carefully  squared,  there  extends  in  a  northerly  direction 
the  foundation  of  a  wall,  but  there  are  no  indentures  in  the 
wall,  by  which  it  could  have  been  joined  to  the  other.  The 
foundations  of  a  wall  can  be  traced  on  a  promontry  of  the 
rock  about  60  feet  above  the  sea,  which  seem  to  indicate 
that  the  rock,  on  which  the  castle  stood,  has  been  washed 
away.  The  local  traditions  say  that  Ballyreagh  in  ancient 
times  belonged  to  the  MacHenrys,  and  these  are  borne  out 
by  the  Ulster  Inquisitions,  which  found  that  Randal,  Earl 
of  Antrim,  had,  by  deed,  dated  November,  1621,  granted  in 
perpetuity  lands  in  the  parishes  of  Ballyaghran  and 
Ballywillin  to  "  James  Oge  M'Henry,  otherwise  O'Cahan, 
of  Ballyreagh,  in  the  County  of  Antrim,  gentleman."  * 
Perrot  writing  from  Dunluce  on  the  17th  of  September, 
1584,  says,  ''I  have  taken  Dunferte,  the  ward  being  fled  ; 
likewise  another  Pyle  by  Portrush." 

'  The  same  Inquisitions  found  that  the  Earl  had,  on  the  15th  of 
May,  1609,  granted,  in  perpetuity,  extensive  tracts  of  land  in  the 
parishes  of  Ballyaghran,  Coleraine,  Ballyrashane  and  Kildollagh,  to 
Gorry  M'Henry  O'Cahan,  and  that  he  had,  January  31st,  1618-9, 
granted,  in  perpetuity,  lands  in  Crossreagh  to  Donagh  O'Murry' 
of  Crossreagh,  who  died  in  1625,  and  was  succeded  by  his  son' 
Donnell  O'Murry.  These  gentlemen,  who  obtained  their  lands  by 
deeds  from  the  Earl,  were  apparently  the  representatives  of  the 
ancient  proprietors.  The  O'Murrys  were  probably  anciently  the 
^rmachs  of  the  church  lands  of  Ballyaghran  and  Ballywillin.  The 
lands  along  the  shore  south  of  Portstewart  are  named  from  them 
Tullaghmurry.  All  these  ancient  families  forfeited  in  the  war 
of  1641. 


262  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

The  pile,  or  Castle  of  Portrush,  stood  near  the  old  church, 
at  the  root  of  the  promontory  known  as  E,amore,  The 
naturally  strong  position  of  Portrush  mnst  have  made  it 
important  in  early  times,  yet  nothing  is  known  of  it  or  its 
castle.  James  Adair  Pilson  in  his  Annals  of  the  County  of 
Antrim,  says,  "  a.d,  1827,  after  a  violent  storm,  which 
swept  away  some  of  the  sand  at  Portrush,  the  remains  of  an 
ancient  town  were  discovered,  by  which  the  foundations 
of  the  houses  could  be  seen,  wherein  were  found  domestic 
utensils,  moose  deer's  horns,  brazen  spoon  heads,  and  other 
military  weapons,  [n  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of 
Portrush  is  a  rock,  in  which  are  imbedded  large  and  perfect 
specimens  of  the  cornu  ammonis ;  various  other  species  of 
fossils  are  frequently  discovered.  Two  ancient  brazen  horns 
were  found  near  Bushmills :  they  were  sent  to  England  as 
a  present  to  the  late  Dr.  Clarke."  When  Essex,  in  1574, 
had  planned  to  locate  English  gentlemen  along  the  borders 
of  the  County  of  Antrim,  Portrush  was  assigned  to  two  of 
the  sons  of  Cecil,  the  younger  of  whom  was  the  ancestor  of 
the  Earl  of  Salisbury,  but  neither  of  them  ever  obtained 
possession  of  it.  Portrush  was  one  of  the  places  which  Sir 
Thomas  Phillips  specially  coveted.  Russell's  &  Prendergast's 
Calendar  gives  the  summary  of  his  letter  to  Sir  Robert 
Cecil,  the  English  Chief  Secretary,  dated  May  19th,  1605— 

"  Sir  Kandal  M'Donnell,  upon  the  first  acquaintance,  being  in  good 
humour,  gave  him  a  little  neck  of  land  called  Port-Eush,  some  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  Castle  of  Denn  Lewes  (Dunluce),  it  contains 
some  sixty  acres  or  thereabouts.  When  he  gave  it  to  him,  he  con- 
ditioned he  should  keep  the  '  red-shanks'  from  landing  there,  which 
he  undertook,  and  has  at  his  own  charge  made  it  defensive  against 
them  or  any  others  his  majesty's  enemies.  It  stands  to  very  good 
purpose,  being  an  outlet  to  all  places  in  the  north.  Hard  by  it  is  a 
goodly  road.  Under  the  fort  itself  there  might  be  made  a  good 
harbour,  with  the   value   (cost)  of  £100,  which   would   save  many 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  263 

men's  lives  and  goods,  as  there  is  no  harbour  there  for  shipping.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  necessary  places  in  all  the  north  for  a  ward  to  be 
kept,  for  with  ten  men  it  might  be  kept  from  all  the  Irishry  and  red- 
shanks of  the  Isles.  It  is  the  key  of  all  these  parts.  It  is  offensive 
and  defensive  against  the  Islanders,  who  usually  did  laud  there,  for 
it  is  but  six  hours  sailing.  Divers  have  told  him  (Phillips)  they 
grieve  much  that  he  (Phillips)  is  seated  there.  Sir  Randal  is 
sorry  to  have  let  him  have  it,  and  would  give  any  reasonable  thing 
to  have  it  back  again.  Has  it  for  40  years,  paying  yearly  one  hogs- 
head of  claret  wine.  Has  been  at  great  charge  there,  and  as  yet  got 
nothing.  Sir  John  Davys  can  inform  his  lordship  of  the  circum- 
stances. Prays  to  have  some  settled  estate  as  a  ward  there,  and  a 
grant  of  Castletown  (Castle  Toome)  during  his  life,  as  being  two 
of  the  most  necessary  places  in  the  North. " 

Notwithstanding  all  the  wily  dishonesty  of  Phillips,'  Sir 
Randal's  influence  with  the  king  was  too  powerful  for  him  ; 
nevertheless,  on  the  20th  of  June,  1606,  he  had  a  grant  of 
the  customs  and  subsidies,  small  and  great,  upon  all  merchan- 
dise, wares  and  goods  imported  or  exported  at  Portrush  and 
Portballintrea,  and  the  river  Bann  (except  the  duties  on 
wines),  and  all  the  ferries  and  ferry-boats  in  Coleraine  and 
Toome  and  between  them,  with  the  fee  of  one  half-pennn} 
for  every  passenger  and  his  burden,  and  for  every  animal, 
rent  £1  to  huld  for  21  years,  see  Patent  Rolls,  James  I. 
On  the  22nd  of  September,  1607,  Phillips  again  writes  to 
Salisbury  to  the  following  effect : — 

If  he  has  omitted  to  write  so  often  as  duty  binds  it  has  not  been 
for  want  of  affection  to  his  Lordship,  as  his  only  patron,  relates  that 
he  had  gone  from  Coleraine  as  far  as  Dung  annon,  the  people  begin 
to  grow  rich,  so  that  for  the  most  part  during  peace  they  increase 
very  fast  in  cattle,  and  this  year  they  have  great  plenty  of  corn.  Is 
of  opinion  that  his  majesty  should  fortify  Knockfergus,  Port-rush, 
and  Loghfoile,  and  then  draw  all  the  cows  and  other  provisions  out 
of  the  woods  into  the  plains  near  those  strong  garrisons,  where  they 
may  be  fetched  in  upon  the  first  news  of  any  forces  landing.  This 
will  not  only  be  a  means  to  starve  them,  but  will  save  his  majesty  a 
great  sum  in  provisions  for  his  army.     In  this  manner  most  of  the 


264  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

provisions  in  the  north  may  be  saved  from  them.  Whilst  the  churls 
are  attending  upon  their  cows  they  may  be  made  to  work  upon  the 
fortifications  ;  for  Knockfergus  and  Loghfoile  there  are  some  few 
men  to  guard  them,  but  to  no  purpose  to  defend  an  army  ;  for  Port- 
rush  there  is  no  man  as  it  lies  entirely  open.  Gives  a  scheme  for 
fortifying  Portrush  and  making  it  almost  an  island,  so  that  6,000 
men  might  be  embattled  there.  Fears  the  Spaniards  will  not  omit 
the  fortifying  it  if  they  chance  to  see  it.  The  Earl  of  Tyrone  to  his 
knowledge  held  it  to  be  a  place  of  importance.  See  Calendar  State 
Papers,  Ireland,  1606-1608.  (For  continuation  of  this  letter  see 
p.  168.) 

Early  in  the  following  year  the  king  agreed  to  give  the 
customs  of  all  goods  imported  or  exported,  tonnage,  poan- 
dage,  &c.,  of  Derry  and  the  county  and  town  of  Coleraine, 
for  99  years,  to  the  Londoners,  and  to  add  thereto  the  same 
privileges  within  the  port  of  Portrush.  Thus  Phillips  was 
destined  to  be  disappointed  in  all  his  hopes ;  and  of  all  the 
vast  territories,  which  that  unscrupulous  and  avaricous  man 
accumulated,  not  one  of  his  descendants  to-day  possess  one 
acre.  He  seems  to  have  set  his  heart  on  Portiush  ;  he 
writes  to  Salisbury  in  1611  : — 

"There  was  long  since  at  Port  Rusha  a  fishing  used  by  the 
Burtons  (Bretons)  in  France,  who  came  every  season  thither  for  dog- 
fish and  rays,  which  being  well  handled  are  a  very  good  commodity 
in  Spain,  especially  in  the  Condado,  for  there  they  are  sold  by 
weight,  and  bought  by  them  of  Castellia  la  Vieza,  Cordana,  Sala- 
manca, &c.,  who  ordinarily  every  week  load  3  or  400  machoes 
and  moyles." 

The  civil  parish  of  Ballyrashane  (for  the  remainder  of 
this  civil  parish  see  p.  230.) — There  is  in  the  farm  of 
Edward  M'Naughten,  Esq.,  in  Eevallagh  an  ancient 
monument,  locally  named  Gigmagaio^s  Grave,  and  the  Giant's 
Grave.  It  is  35  feet  long  and  15  feet  wide,  enclosed  on 
both  sides  by  large  stones,  which  seem  formerly  to  have 
supported  canopy  stones.      The  side  walls  average  5  feet  in 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  265 

■width  at  the  base,  and  are  from  1  to  2  feet  in  height  ;  the 
space  between  the  walls  is  about  5  feet  broad.  Three  only 
of  the  canopy  stones  remain  undisturbed  ;  the  largest  of 
them  is  8  feet  long,  4|  feet  broad,  and  2|  feet  thick ;  the 
second  largest  is  5|  feet  by  2|  by  2^  feet,  the  smallest  4i 
feet  by  2|  by  1  J.  On  the  surface  of  the  underside  of  the 
largest  of  the  canopy  stones  there  are  engraved  letters  of  a 
rough  construction,  and  said  to  be  of  ancient  date.  It  is 
also  said  that  the  letters  were  cut  before  the  stone  was 
placed  in  its  present  situation.*^  There  is  an  aucient  en- 
closure, named  the  Grave- Yard,  in  the  farm  of  John  Rankin 
in  Outhill.  It  is  25  yai-ds  long  and  22  yards  broad,  and 
raised  about  3  feet  above  the  level  of  the  field,  It  was 
surrounded  by  a  stone  fence  which  is  now  nearly  destroyed ; 
the  surface  is  almost  entirely  covered  with  stones  and  over- 
grown with  whins.  There  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  Andrew 
M'Gowan,  Outhill ;  it  was  formerly  explored  to  the  length 
of  15  yards,  where  there  was  found  a  spring  well ;  an 
apartment  or  passage  branched  off  it,  which  was  not  ex- 
plored. There  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  John  Pinkerton  in 
Ballywat  Legs.  The  cave,  it  is  said,  forms  a  square,  each 
side  of  which  is  30  feet ;  it  is  at  present  closed.     There  is  a 

*  The  writer  has  beea  informed  by  Mr.  Cunningham,  rector  of 
Ballyrashane,  that  the  stone  referred  to  is  supposed  to  be  one,  that 
was  removed  several  years  ago  to  a  mill  to  form  a  rest  for  the  axle 
of  a  wheel.  The  class  of  Pagan  sepulchral  monuments  known  to  the 
people  as  Gianfs  Graves  are  termed  by  antiquarians  Kistvaens,  or 
chests  of  stone.  They  are  usually  formed  by  flat  stones  set  up  on 
edge  and  supporting  flagstones  so  as  to  form  a  long  box  or  chamber. 
Some  Kistvaens  are  above,  and  some  are  below  the  ground.  The 
enclosed  chambers  vary  in  length  from  a  few  feet  to  several  yards, 
while  the  width  depends  on  the  length  of  the  flags  available  for 
covers.  They  are  frequently  divided  into  compartments  by  blocks 
of  stone. 


266  DIOCOSE    OF   CONNOR. 

cave  in  the  farm  of  Joseph  Lyons  in  Ballywat  West ;  and 
there  are  a  number  of  caves  in  the  same  townland,  in  the 
farm  of  John  M'Collums.  Robert  Chesuutt,  when  removing 
an  old  building  in  Ballywat  West,  found  a  number  of  silver 
coins,  three  of  them  were  as  large  as  five-shilling  pieces. 
The  Carn,  which  gives  name  to  Carnglass,  is  in  the  farm  of 
Daniel  M 'Carroll.  It  is  composed  of  large  and  small  stones, 
is  43  feet  in  circumference  at  the  base,  and  5  feet  in 
diameter  at  the  top,  which  is  five  feet  higher  than  the  hill 
on  which  it  is  seated.  It  is  considerably  injured  by  the 
removal  of  stones  from  its  sides,  and  is  now  nearly  covered 
over  with  soil.     There  are  the  ruins  of  a   fort  in  Carnglass- 

beg  in  the  farm  of Getty.     It  was  oval-shaped  35  yards 

by  28  yards,  but  little  of  it  now  remains.  A  fort  occupied 
a  very  commanding  position  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Samuel 
Carlisle  in  Lisnarick,  but  it  is  now  nearly  destroyed ;  the 
parapet  is  demolished,  except  50  yards,  which  averages  14 
feet  iu  breadth,  and  from  1  to  4|  feet  above  the  area  of  the 
fort,  and  the  moat  averages  14  feet  in  breadth,  the  height 
from  the  bottom  of  the  moat  to  the  top  of  the  fort  varies 
from  12  to  16  feet.  The  fort  was  originally  40  yards  in 
diameter.  In  Hugh  Smith's  farm  in  Lisnisk  there  is  an 
oval-shaped  fort,  33  by  31  yards.  What  remains  of  the 
parapet  varies  from  2  to  9  feet  above  the  area  of  the  fort, 
and  in  breadth  from  7  to  14  feet.  The  moat  varies  in 
breadth  from  14  to  20  feet,  and  the  height  from  the  bottom 
of  the  moat  to  the  top  of  the  fort  is  from  20  to  28  feet.  In 
removing  the  soil  and  in  tilling  a  part  of  this  fort  great 
quantities  of  human  bones  were  turned  up. — From 
Ordnance  Survey  Report  M.S.,  by  Thomas  Fagan,  1835. 

The  townland  of  Kilmoyle  is  named  from  a  church  which 
stood  in  a  graveyard,  the  site  of  which  is  occupied  by  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  267 

farm  yards  of  Thomas  Nevin  and  others. — Orel.  Sur.  R.  MS. 
William  Nevin,  in  1819,  got  butter,  wooden  vessels,  and  a 
bronze  dish  at  a  great  depth  in  the  bog  in  Oldtown.  There 
is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  John  Stenson  in  the  Kevallagh 
South. — Ordnance  Survey  Reports  MS. 

The  Civil  Parish  of  Dunluce,  There  are  the  remains  of  a 
fort  in  the  farm  of  Thomas  Given,  in  Ballyboggy,  but  it  is 
now  under  cultivation.  There  is  a  cave  in  each  of  the 
farms  of  Ben.  Given,  Moses  Chesnutt,  and  Robert 
M' Williams,  in  the  same  townland,  but  they  are  at  present 
closed.  An  eminence  in  Ballyboggy  is  called  the  Castle 
Hill,  from  a  castle,  which  formerly  stood  on  it,  but  no 
vestige  of  it  now  remains.  It  is  said  to  have  been  the 
residence  of  a  branch  of  the  Macnaghten  family.  See 
Ordnance  Survey  MS.,  hy  Thomas  Fagan,  1838. 

The  site  of  the  ancient  church,  which  gave  name  to  the 
townland  of  Kilmoyle,  is  in  the  farm  of  Daniel  Adams  ;  it 
is  locally  called  "  The  Kirkyard,"  but  it  is  now  entirely 
under  tillage.  Human  remains,  portions  of  coffins,  and 
other  indications  of  a  ceroetery,  have  been  found  on  the 
site  but  its  history  is  entirely  unknown.  See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 
On  an  eminence  in  Benvardin,  within  the  grounds  of 
John  Montgomery,  Esq.,  stands  a  fort,  60  yards  in  diameter, 
enclosed  by  a  moat  and  a  parapet,  the  latter  from  4  to  8 
feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  moat,  and  from  12  to  20  feet 
in  breadth.  The  moat  varies  from  12  to  20  feet  in  width  ; 
and  the  area  of  the  fort  rises  from  6  to  12  feet  higher  than 
the  bottom  of  the  moat.  This  fort  is  now  planted  with 
forest  trees.*     See  Ord.  Sur.  MS. 

*  The  townlands  of  the  civil  parish  of  Dunluce  hitherto  mentioned, 
perhaps,  should  have  been  treated  of  as  attached  to  the  Catholic 
parish  of  Ballymoney  and  Derrykeighan.      The  Macnaghtens,  the 


268  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

There  is  in  the  townland  of  Ballyhunsley,  the  site  of  an 
ancient  graveyard,  which  is  locally  called  the  Holy  Knowe. 
The  site  is  in  the  farm  of  Thomas  Moore,  but  it  is  now 
completely  subjected  to  tillage.  In  the  same  farm  is  a  cave, 
46  feet  in  length,  from  3  to  5  feet  high,  and  from  2|  to  4 

former  proprietors  of  Beuvardin,  claimed  descent  from  Loarn,  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Colony  of  the  Scottish  Dalriada,  being 
descended  in  common  with  the  Stewards,  or  Mormaors,  of  Moray, 
the  Glain  Guaire  or  Macquarries,  the  Clann  Fionngnin  or  Mackinnons, 
the  MacCoinniyh  or  Mackeuzies,  the  Claim  Grigoir  or  Macgregors, 
and  many  others,  from  Ferchar  Fada,  who  became  King  of  the 
Albanian  Dalriada.  a.d.  689.  Shane  Dhu  Macnaghten,  whose 
grandfather,  Sir  Alexander  fell  at  the  battle  of  Flooden,  was  the 
son  of  a  sister  of  Sorley  Boy,  and  became  agent  to  Randal,  first 
earl  of  Antrim.  He  obtained  valuable  leases  from  his  cousin  of  the 
lands  of  Ballymagarry,  Coolnagar,  and  Banverdon.  He  was  interred 
in  Bunnamairge  where  a  large  red-freestone  slab  bears  a  part  of  an 
inscription  which  a  few  years  ago  when  complete  read  : — 

"  Heire  Lyeth  the  Bodle  of  Jhn  3f'Naghtan,  First  Sectarie  to 
Randal,  First  Erie  of  A  ntrim,  who  Departed 
This  Mortalitie 
In  the  Year  of  Our  Lord  God,  1630. 

His  son,  Donnell,  acted  also  for  some  years  as  agent.  The  Decree 
of  Innocence  in  favour  of  the  Marquis  of  Antrim,  (see  Hill's 
M'Donnells),  mentions  that  this  Donnel  paid  rent  "for  the  half 
towne  land  of  Benvardin,  the  quarter  of  Kilmoyle,  the  quarter  of 
Ballenclorgan,  the  two  quarters  of  Ballelegiu,  the  quarter  of 
Ballnasse,  the  halfe  quarter  of  Ardtiboylane,  and  the  mill  of 
Ballenasse  yearly  twenty  pounds."  He  also  obtained  a  lease  on  the 
17th  of  August,  1637,  of  the  half  townlands  of  Ballentegart, 
Laggathrore,  and  Magerernan  ;  he  was  bound  to  plant  yearly  a 
certain  number  of  trees — ^oak,  ash,  and  sycamore,  to  pay  15/-  of 
Crown  rent,  and  the  best  beast  in  his  possession  as  a  heriot.  This 
Donnel  was  married  to  a  niece  of  Primate  Dowdall  ;  he  seems  to 
have  become  a  Protestant,  as  he  is  exempted  from  the  forfeitures 
after  the  war  of  1641,  but  one  John  M'Naghten,  probably  Donnell's 
younger  brother  is  declared  in  the  Decree  of  Innocence  in  favour  of 
the  Marquis  to  have  been  "a  nocent  person."  He  is  probably  the 
person  referred  to  in  following  extract  from  A  Collection  of  some  oj 


THE  PARISH  OF  POETRUSH.  269 

feet  wide  ;  the  walls  are  constructed  of  dry  stone  work,  and 
it  is  roofed  with  long  and  flat  flagstones.  When  it  was 
explored  for  the  first  time  cinders  were  discovered  in  it. 
There  was  formerly  a  similar  cave  in   the   farm  of  David 

the  massacres,  d-c.  committed  on  the  Irish  in  Ireland  since  the  2drd  of 
October,  1641,  which  was  published  in  London  in  1662.  "  Mr. 
M'Naughten  built  a  small  fortress  in  the  said  County  (Antrim), 
to  preserve  himself  and  followers  from  outrages,  until  he  understood 
what  the  cause  of  the  then  rebellion  was  ;  as  soon  as  Colonel 
Campbell  came  near  with  a  part  of  his  army,  he  sent  to  let  know, 
that  he  would  come  to  him  with  his  party,  which  he  did  ;  and  they 
were  next  day  murdered,  to  the  number  of  eighty.  About  the 
same  time,  one  hundred  poor  women  and  children  were  murdered  in 
one  night  at  a  place  called  Balliaghurn  (Ballyaghran),  by  direction 
of  the  English  and  Scotch  officers  commanding  that  country." 
The  Colonel  Campbell,  who  murdered  M'Naghten  and  his  people, 
was  Sir  Duncan  Campbell,  of  Aughinbreck,  who  was  afterwards 
slain  at  the  battle  of  Inverlochy,  by  the  celebrated  Alaster  MacColl 
M'Donnell,  "who,  by  one  blow  of  a  two-handed  claymore,  swept 
off  his  head  and  helmet  altogether.'' — (Grant's  Memoir  of  Montrose. ) 
Donnel  was  succeeded  by  his  son  John,  whose  eldest  son,  named 
John,  married  a  Miss  M'Manus,  and  died  when  his  son,  also  named 
John  was  only  about  six  years  of  age.  This  boy  when  at  school  in 
Dublin  became  addicted  to  gambling,  which  finally  led  to  his  ruin  ; 
he  was  compelled  to  sell  a  part  of  his  estate  and  mortgage  the 
remainder.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  he  induced  Miss  Knox,  of 
Prehen,  an  heiress  in  her  own  right,  to  read  over  with  him  the 
marriage  ceremony  and  then  claimed  her  as  his  wife.  Mr.  Knox 
was  removing  his  daughter  to  Dublin  on  the  10th  of  November, 
1760,  when  Macnaghten  accompanied  by  a  servant  and  two  tenants 
attacked  the  carriage  near  Strabane,  for  the  purpose,  as  he  alleged, 
of  rescuing  his  wife.  Several  shots  were  fired  on  both  sides,  when 
Macnagten  who  was  wounded  rushed  forward,  and  firing  at  Mr. 
Knox,  accidently  killed  Mrs.  Knox.  Two  hours  after  the  murder 
Macnaughten  was  taken,  and  his  unfortunate  tenant,  and  associate 
in  crime,  Dunlap,  was  caught  in  a  house  in  Ballyboggy,  near 
Benvarden,  but  the  others  escaped.  The  both  were  executed  at 
Lifford.  On  the  death  of  John  Macnaghten,  who  left  no  children 
the  Benvarden  property  was  sold.  He  had  a  younger  brother  who 
became  the  founder  of  the  Ballyboggj'  branch  of  the  family. 


270  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

Dunlop,  but  it  has  been  destroyed.  A  fort,  which  formerly 
stood  in  the  farm  of  John  FauUs,  in  the  same  townland,  has 
also  been  destroyed.     See  Ord.  Sur.  M.S. 

There  is  in  the  townland  of  South  Ballyclogh  the  site  of 
another  ancient  graveyard,  which  is  locally  called  "  The 
Kirkyard  "j  it  is  now  under  tillage  and  its  history  is 
unknown.  The  site  is  in  the  farm  of  Alexander  Douglass. 
There  is  in  the  same  farm  a  cave,  which  is  of  the  usual 
construction ;  it  has  been  explored  to  the  distance  of  1 1 
yards,  but  it  seems  to  extend  much  farther.  The  ruins  of  a 
fort,  which  was  60  yards  in  diameter,  stand  on  an  eminence 
in  the  farm  of  Samuel  Quigg,  in  the  same  townland  ;  it  was 
was  enclosed  by  a  moat  and  parapet,  both  of  which  are 
nearly  destroyed.  The  moat  averages  9  feet  in  width,  and 
the  parapetj  which  was  of  earth,  stands  from  5  to  7  feet 
above  the  bottom  of  the  moat.  It  is  said  that  there  is  a 
cave  under  tne  fort,  but  it  is  now  closed.     See  Ord.  Sur.  MS. 

On  an  eminence  in  Ballyclogh  called  ''  Flower  Hill," 
stands  a  stone,  7  feet  10  inches  high,  3  feet  9  inches  broad, 
and  3  feet  3  inches  thick ;  il  is  said  that  it  was  formerly 
much  higher,  and  that  it  was  brought  from  Craignachoke  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Bush,  and  set  up  as  an  ornament  by  an 
occupant  of  a  castle  which  once  stood  on  Flower  Hill.  Of 
the  castle  nothing  now  remains.  It  is  said  that  it  was 
erected  in  1710,  by  a  minister  named  Thomas  Warton,  and 
pulled  down  about  1818,  by  Mr.  Macnaghten,  of  Beardi- 
ville.  The  story  of  the  comparatively  recent  erection  of  the 
Standing  Stone  seems  not  very  reliable,  for  there  is  con- 
tiguous to  it  an  extensive  cave  of  the  usual  construction, 
but  it  is  at  present  closed  up  ;  and  it  doubtlessly  gave  name 
to  the  very  extensive  townland  of  Ballyclogh,  which  is  now 
divided   into  several  sub-denominations.       In  1838,  Alex. 


THE  PAKISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  271 

M'Kinley  found  a  quantity  of  ancient  Roman  silver  coins 
buried  in  the  earth  near  the  site  of  the  old  castle. 

In  this  townland  there  formerly  stood,  in  the  farm  oi 
Samuel  M'Clean,  a  fort,  which  he  destroyed  ;  there  was 
under  it  a  cave  of  small  extent.     See  Ord.  Sur.  MS. 

In  Ballyhome,  on  an  eminence  in  the  farm  of  Thomas 
Nevin,  stood  a  fort,  30  yards  in  diameter,  and  from  5  to 
6  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  hill.  The  parapet  was 
faced  round  with  stones  of  a  large  size.  This  fort,  which  is 
in  process  of  destruction,  has  under  it  a  cave  that  has  been 
explored  about  35  yards  ;  it  had  a  funnel  ascending  through 
the  roof,  which  may  have  been  used  either  for  ventilation 
or  to  carry  off  smoke.  The  cave  was  of  the  usual  con- 
struction, and  about  4|  feet  wide  in  the  interior,  and  from 
4  to  6  feet  high.  It  gives  name  to  the  townland — Baile 
uaimh — "  the  town  of  the  cave."  In  this  townland,  there 
is  a  Standing  Stone,  2|  feet  high,  2|  feet  broad,  and  1|  feet 
thick,  in  the  farm  of  James  Gaston.  Another  Standing 
Stone  is  erected  on  a  rocky  hill,  in  the  farm  of  Malcolm 
M'Clean.  It  is  1  foot  9  iaches  high,  1  foot  9  inches  broad, 
and  1  foot  thick.  There  is  a  stone  pillar,  Zh  feet  high,  3| 
feet  broad,  and  2  feet  2  inches  thick,  in  the  farm  of  Archy 
Campbell.  It  is  locally  called  the  Altar  Stone,  and  supposed 
to  have  been  a  pagan  altar ;  several  other  stone  pillars 
stood  on  the  same  site,  but  there  is  now  only  one  remaining. 

There  are  two  caves  in  the  farm  of  John  Laurence,  in 
Ballycraig  ;  they  have  been  explored  but  nothing  of  interest 
was  found  in  them.  In  the  farm  of  John  Dunlop,  in  the 
same  townland,  there  was  a  "Giants  grave,"  about  12  feet 
long,  and  6  feet  wide,  enclosed  with  upright  stones,  over 
which  were  stretched  canopy  stones.  The  monument  is 
now   utterly   destroyed.      The   ruins   of  another    "  Giants 


272  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Grave"  stands  in  the  farm  of  William  Montgomery,  in 
Ballycraig  Lower,  at  about  six  furlongs  from  the  sea-shore. 
It  is  an  oblong  space  28|  feet  by  12|  feet,  enclosed  at  the 
sides  and  ends  by  large  stones  sunk  in  the  ground  and  laid 
closely  together.  A  large  number  of  these  still  remain, 
standing  from  1  to  3|  feet  above  the  surface ;  the  largest  of 
them  is  4  feet  long,  2  feet  thick,  and  3  feet  high.  From  the 
situation  of  some  of  the  columns  it  would  seem,  that  the 
interior  was  divided  into  three  compartments,  and  that  all 
the  interior  was  once  covered  by  I'oofing,  or  canopy  stones, 
two  of  which  still  remain,  one  of  them  measuring  4:|  feet 
by  4  feet,  and  1^  feet  thick  ;  the  other  was  much  larger  but 
it  is  now  broken.  The  monument  is  situated  in  low  ground 
in  an  extensive  rabbit  warren,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been 
once  covered  by  sand.  In  exploring  it  at  some  former 
period  a  bronze  weapon  was  found  in  its  ruins.  In  the 
townland  and  the  adjoining  townland  of  Bally  keel  ancient 
interments  and  weapons  are  frequently  exposed  by  storms 
blowing  off  the  sand,  which  originally  covered  them.- 
Orcl  Sior.  MS. 

There  was  a  fort  in  the  farm  of  James  Boyle,  in  Bally- 
macrea,  the  site  of  which  is  at  present  under  tillage.  In 
the  farm  of  Widow  Dunlop,  in  the  same  townland,  there 
stood  a  fort  nearly  circular,  26  yards  in  diameter;  its 
parapet  was  of  earth  and  stones,  but  is  now  nearly  destroyed; 
what  remains  of  the  parapet  is  5  feet  high,  and  12  feet 
broad.  About  60  yards  west  of  that  fort  are  the  ruins  of 
another,  which  was  faced  round  with  large  stones.  A  small 
cave  V7as  found  under  this  fort,  in  which  were  cinders. — 
Ord.  Sur.  MS. 

There  is  a  Standing  Stone,  3  feet  high,  2  feet  broad,  and 
1  foot  thick,  in  the  farm  of  James  Stewart,  in  Ballymagarry. 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  273 

Ballymagarry  House  stood  on  a  beautiful  eminence  about  a 
mile  south-west  of  Dunluce  Castle.  It  was  erected  by  the 
Marquis  of  Antrim,  about  1668,  as  a  family  residence  after 
Dunluce  had,  through  wars  and  neglect,  become  unsuited 
for  such.  It  is  probable  that  a  previous  man.oion  occupied 
the  site,  for  John  Dhu  Macnaghten,  the  cousin  and  principal 
agent  of  the  first  Earl  of  Antrim,  resided  at  Ballymagarry. 

In  Andrew  Brown's  farm,  in  Ballytober,  there  is  a 
Standing  Stone,  2^  foot  high,  3  feet  broad,  and  1|  feet 
thick,  close  to  the  road  from  Bushmills  to  Coleraine.  There 
is  another  Standing  Stone,  at  about  60  yards  to  the  south  ; 
it  is  nearly  3  feet  high,  2|  feet  broad,  and  nearly  2  feet 
thick.  In  the  same  farm  there  was  formerly  a  fort,  which 
is  now  destroyed  and  its  site  under  tillage.  There  is  also 
a  cave  of  large  size  but  it  is  at  present  closed.  The  ancient 
well,  which  gives  name  to  the  townland  is  enclosed  by  a 
stone  building.  The  adjoining  townlands  containing  about 
400  acres  are  named  Priestland  East  and  West,  perhaps 
from  some  church,  with  which  this  well  was  associated. 

There  is  a  Standing  Stone,  2  feet  8  inches  high,  2  feet  4 
inches  broad,  and  2  feet  2  inches  thick,  in  the  farm  of 
Daniel  Kilpatrick,  in  Bally leckan,  which  probably  gives 
name  to  the  townland.  Leacan  being  some  diminutive  of 
Leac — 'a  stone,  or  flagstone.' 

There  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  James  Moore,  in  Dunluce, 
but  it  has  never  been  explored,  and  is  now  closed.  See 
Ordnance  Survey  MS. 

The  townland  of  Magheracross  derives  its  name  probably 
from  some  cross  which  formerly  stood  in  it,  but  there  is  no 
tradition  preserved  of  its  existence,  and  the  virtues  of  the 
well  of  Toberacoppan  are  also  forgotten. 

The  church   of  Dunluce — "  Ecclesia  de    Dunkelisp,"   is 


274  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

valued  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  at  47s  4d,  In  the 
Terrier — ^'  Ecclesia  de  S.  Cuthbert,  Dunliffsie,  hath  5  acres 
in  Glebe — pays  Px-oxies,  20s  ;  Refections,  20s."  It  is 
remarkable  the  usual  2s  Synodals  is  not  entered  against 
this  church  nor  that  of  Port-Cammon.  The  Ulster  Visitation 
5oo^  of  1622  reports  "  Capella  Sti.  Cuthberti  de  Dunluce 
ruynous."  It  would  seem  that  on  the  site  of  the  church, 
that  was  "  ruynous"  in  1622,  there  was  erected  another,  the 
ruins  of  which  still  stand  in  the  ancient  graveyard. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  ruins  in  Ireland  is  Dunluce 
Castle.  The  name  entered  in  the  Four  Masters  Dun-lis, 
denoting  a  strong  dun,  or  fort,  shows,  that  the  site  had  been 
occupied  at  a  remote  period  by  an  ancient  Irish  dun,  either 
of  earth  or  stone,  more  probably  the  latter,  like  the  Dun- 
Aengusa,  on  the  great  Island  of  Aran,  in  the  bay  Gal  way. 
The  word  is  used  by  Keating  in  the  sense  of  a  fortified 
residence,  where  he  tells,  that  Turgesius,  the  Dane,  having 
been  seized  was  conveyed  to  the  Dunlios  of  Maelseachlainn. 
Colgan,  however,  writes  it  Bunlifcia,  and  the  writer  of  a 
journal  of  the  war  of  1641  terms  it  Dunlihhse  (pronounced 
lifshey),  rendering  it  not  improbable  that  the  word  Sigh 
(pronounced  Shee — '  a  sprite'),  enters  into  the  composition 
of  the  last  syllable.  Liban  is  translated  in  the  Calendar 
of  Donegal,  '  woman  of  the  sea.'  Lihhsi  is  '  a  mermaid,' 
and  without  doubt  the  story  of  Queen  Mave's  Room,  or  the 
Banshee's  Tower,  is  only  a  remnant  of  a  still  more  ancient 
legend  now  forgotten.  The  site  of  the  castle  is  an  insulated 
rock,  about  100  feet  in  height  above  the  waves,  that  fret 
and  boil  around  its  base.  A  chasm  of  20  feet  in  breadth, 
separating  the  rock  from  the  mainland,  is  spanned  by  a 
wall,  about  H  feet  broad,  built  somewhat  like  a  bridge, 
which  forms  the  only  means  of  access  to  the  fortress.    There 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  275 

seems  to  have  been  formerly  a  parallel  -wall,  which  with  the 
existing  wall  formed  supports  for  a  wooden  bridge  ;  but 
there  can  be  little  doubt,  that  these  connecting  walls  date 
only  from  the  period  of  comparatively  peaceable  times,  and, 
that  formerly  the  draw-bridge  alone  spanned  the  chasm. 
The  entire  summit  of  the  rock  is  crested  round  with  the  ex- 
terior walls  of  the  castle ;  and  its  base  is  penetrated  by  caves 
formed  by  the  incessant  action  of  the  sea.  At  the  meeting 
of  the  Royal  Historical  and  Archselogical  Association 
of  Ireland,  held  in  Portrush,  on  the  29th  of  July,  1885, 
Mr,  Robert  Young,  C.E.,  Belfast,  read  a  paper,  which 
contained  the  following  description  of  Dunluce  Castle  : — 

"After  passing  the  bridge,  which  was  doubtless  capable  of  beiDg 
removed  at  the  discretion  of  the  garrison,  a  small  enclosed  court- 
yard is  reached,  at  the  lower  end  of  which  stands  the  tower  known 
as  the  barbican,  in  which  is  the  main  entrance  door.  From  the 
barbican  a  very  strong  wall  extends  for  about  seventy  feet  on  the 
edge  of  the  cliff,  until  it  meets  a  circular  tower  at  the  north-west 
angle,  known  as  M'Quillan's  Tower.  The  walls  are  eight  feet  thick, 
and  a  small  staircase  is  preserved  in  it,  by  which  access  is  gained  to 
the  top,  and  to  the  parapet  of  the  defence  wall  between  it  and  the 
barbican.  The  only  other  structure  of  much  strength  is  at  the 
western  end  of  the  clifi',  about  sixty  feet  south  of  the  M'Quillan 
Tower,  an  d,  like  it,  circular,  but  some  feet  less  in  diameter.  This 
is  known  as  Queen  Mave's  Tower.  The  wall  which  connected  it 
with  the  other  tower  has  long  since  fallen  down  in  consequence  of 
the  decay  of  its  rocky  foundation.  The  remainder  of  the  rock  on 
the  east  and  south  is  partly  surrounded  by  walls  of  great  thickness, 
and  partly  covered  by  domestic  buildings.  At  the  extreme  south, 
and  overhanging  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  which  penetrates  entirely 
through  the  rock,  are  the  remains  of  a  kitchen.  The  residence  of 
the  lord  of  the  castle  occupies  the  level  platform  behind  the  towers 
at  the  western  side.  The  principal  apartment  was  the  great  hall, 
70  feet  in  length  by  23  in  width.  It  was  lighted  at  the  east  by 
three  large  bay  windows,  giving  beautiful  glimpses  across  the  sea 
of  the  blue  hills  in  the  distant  Scotch  isles,  and  of  Cantyre.  The 
house,  which  forms  a  continuation  of  the  hall  towards  the  south, 
and    contains  one  good  room,  about  32  feet  by  20,  on  the  ground 


276  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

floor,  had  its  two  windows  also  to  the  east.  The  sleeping  apart- 
ments  of  the  family  were  doubtless  above  this,  and  the  great  hall 
was  lighted  by  the  windows  still  to  be  seen  in  the  gables,  and  by 
others  in  the  roof,  which  has  disappeared.  The  castle  yard,  which 
occupies  the  entire  space  between  the  hall  and  the  parapet,  on  the 
edge  of  the  cliff,  is  about  120  feet  long  by  25  feet  wide,  and  must 
have  been  the  only  substitute  for  the  terraced  gardens  of  the  modern 
castle.  Two  parallel  ranges  of  narrow  buildings,  separated  by  an 
enclosed  courtyard,  lie  next  to  the  lord's  residence.  These  were  the 
servants'  apartments  and  kitchen  offices,  probably  anterior  to  the 
MacDonnel  occupation.  The  great  hall  was  built,  or  at  least  re- 
modelled by  Sorley  Boy  for  the  use  of  his  son,  Sir  James.  The 
group  of  buildings  on  the  mainland,  with  the  enclosing  walls,  which 
lie  to  the  northward  of  the  bridge,  are  much  later  than  those  on  the 
rock,  and  may,  with  fair  certainty,  be  assigned  to  a  period  later 
than  1640.  The  local  tradition  says  they  were  erected  by  Randal, 
second  Earl  of  Antrim,  to  accommodate  his  retainers,  who,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  frightful  catastrophe  which  took  place  at  their 
quarters  on  the  rock,  refused  any  longer  to  live  there.  There  were 
probably  other  reasons  for  erecting  so  extensive  a  set  of  buildings 
here.  The  family  was  gaining  in  importance,  and  keeping  up  very 
much  larger  establishments  than  their  predecessors,  and  the  large 
walled  yards  were  no  doubt  intended  for  the  protection  of  their 
tenants,  "  Croghts  and  Studdes,"  in  case  of  an  attack  of  war." 

"  The  frightful  catastrophe"  referred  to  by  Mr.  Young  is 
said  to  have  occurred,  on  a  stormy  day  in  1639,  when  a 
piece  of  the  rock,  which  sustained  the  building,  fell  ;  and 
nine  servants  of  the  Marchioness  of  Buckingham,  then 
the  wife  of  the  Earl  of  Antrim,  went  down  with  the  ruin, 
and  were  in  a  moment  precipitated  into  the  ocean.  The 
yawning  chasm  exposes  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  150  feet  below. 
It  is  likely  that  the  old  buildings  on  the  mainland  surrounded 
at  one  time  by  massive  walls  were  erected  immediately  after 
the  catastrophe.  The  entrance  into  the  space  surrounded  by 
these  walls  and  the  roadway  into  the  castle  seem  to  be  what 
are  named  "  the  new  buildings  in  the  court  next  the  castle," 
and  "  the  new  causeway "  in  the  affidavit  of  Gilladuffe 
O'Caban.     It  is  probable,  that  shortly  after  Bruce's  invasion 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  'Z  i  I 

the  Cyclopean  walls  of  the  Celtic  dun  were  swept  away,  and 
their  stones  used  in  the  erection  of  the  castle.  The  Four 
Masters  record,  under  the  year  1513  : — 

"The  Castle  of  Dun-lis  was  taken  by  O'Donnell  from  the  sons  of 
Garrett  MacQuillin  and  given  up  to  the  sons  of  Walter  MacQuillan. " 

The  M'Quillins  were  deprived  of  Dunluce  by  the 
M'Donnells.  Shane  O'Neill  took  it  from  the  M'Donnells  ; 
and  the  ;iieans  he  adopted  to  compel  its  surrender  is  told  in 
a  letter  written  by  his  Secretary  to  the  Government. 

"  In  the  morning  after  (the  battle  with  the  M'Donnells,  near 
Ballycastle),  he  removed  thence  and  came  to  Downesterick 
(Dunseverick),  and  Downlisse  in  the  E,oote,  being  live  myles 
asonder,  which  are  Sawhirley  Boy  his  cheefe  castles,  and  the  cheefe 
defence  and  holt  of  these  partes,  of  the  which  he  wan  the  same  day 
Downesterick,  wherein  he  left  sertaine  of  his  men  to  defende  it 
against  the  enymie.  But  the  other  he  could  not  wyn  in  the  space 
of  thre  days  after  till  at  laste,  partlye  through  fear  of  Sawhairly 
Boy  his  dethe,  who  was  kepte  without  meat  or  drinke  to  this  ende 
the  castell  might  be  sooner  yielded,  and  partlye  for  saulfgarde  of 
their  own  liffys,  seeing  the  manifold  and  cruell  skirmishes  and 
assaults  on  every  side,  the  ward  were  faine  to  yelde  the  castell  into 
his  handes,  whiche  alsoe  he  comitted  to  the  saulfe  keepynge  of  such 
of  his  men  as  were  most  able  to  defende  the  same,  and  mooste  true 
to  hym." 

O'lSTeill,  it  would  seem,  garrisoned  those  castles  for  some 
time  with  his  own  men,  but  afterwards  handed  them  over 
to  the  Queen's  officers ;  for  we  find  that  an  Englishman 
named  Cadogan  was  constable  of  Dunluce  in  1568,  when  he 
surprised  a  captain  of  Turlough  Ijuineach's  Scots,  who  went 
to  attend  the  Red  Dean  (Terence  Daniel)  to  the  earl  of 
Argyle.  It  was  soon  again  in  the  possession  of  Sorley  Boy, 
but  in  1584  the  Lord-Deputy  Perrot  marched  with  an  over- 
whelming army  (see  p.  23)  against  the  intrepid  Scot.  The 
Lord-Deputy  writes  "  from  the  camp  at  Dunluce,"  on  the 
15th  of  September,  1584  : — 


278  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

"  Myself  and  the  rest  of  the  company  are  incamped  before  Dunluse 
the  strongest  piece  in  this  realm,  situate  upon  a  rocke  hanging  over 
the  sea.  divided  from  the  main  with  a  brod,  deep,  rocky  ditch, 
natural  and  not  artificial,  and  having  no  way  to  it  but  a  small  neck 
of  the  same  rocke,  which  is  also  cutt  off  very  deep .  It  hath  in  it  a 
strong  ward,  whereof  the  capten  is  a  natural  Scot,  who  when  I  sent 
to  summon  them  to  yielde,  refused  talke,  and  proudly  answered 
speaking  very  good  English,  that  they  were  appointed  and  would 
keep  it  to  the  last  man  for  the  king  of  the  Scots  use,  which  made 
me  draw  thither.  I  have  planted  a  battery  of  a  culverin  and  two 
sacres  before  it," 

The  author  of  the  memoir  of  Sir  John  Parrot  thus 
describes  the  siege  : — 

"(The  refusal  of  the  castellan  to  parley)  made  the  Deputy  draw 
near  thither  and  plant  a  battery  of  culverins  and  cannon  before  it, 
which  being  brought  by  sea  to  Skerries  (Portrush),  the  Lord  Deputy 
caused  to  be  drawn  thither  (being  two  miles  from  Dunluce)  by 
force  of  men,  wherein  he  spared  not  the  labour  of  his  own  servants  ; 
and  when  small  shot  played  so  thick  out  of  the  fort,  that  the 
common  soldiers  began  to  shrink  in  planting  the  artillery,  the  Lord 
Deputy  made  his  own  men  fill  the  gabions  with  earth  and  made 
good  his  ground,  until  the  ordnance  was  planted  and  the  trenches 
made.  This  being  done  the  Lord  Deputy  himself  gave  fire  to  the 
first  piece  of  ordnance  and  discharged  it,  which  did  no  great  hurt ; 
but  shortly  after,  it  being  better  shaked,  the  next  morning  (after 
they  had  ever  night  felt  a  little  the  force  of  the  battery)  they  sent 
unto  the  Lord  Deputy  to  be  received  into  mercy,  whereunto  he 
condescended,  the  rather  because  he  would  save  the  charges  of 
repairing  again  that  place  .  .  .  therefore  he  granted  them  life 
and  liberty  to  depart."     See  Dubourdieu's  Antrim. 

On  the  17th  of  September,  Perrot  writes  to  t,he  Privy 
Council  from  the  camp  : — "  The  ward  of  this  castle  of 
Dunluse,  being  40  men,  most  part  Scots  have  surrendered."* 
The  invasion  of  Sorley's  territory  and  the  surrender  of  his 
chief  fortress  are  thus  related  by  the  Four  Masters  : — 

"  When  Sorley  heard  of  the  march  of  men  of  Ireland  towards 
him,  he  left  the  Ron  te,  taking  with  him  his  creaghts,  his  women, 

*  On  this  expedition  Sir  John  Perrot  plundered  from  the  Mao- 
Donnells  a  relic,  which  they  had  probably  brought  with  them  from 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  279 

and  his  people  to  Gleann-Concadhain  (Grlenconkeine  in  the  parish  of 
Ballynascreen),  and  leaving  neither  shepherds  nor  guards  in  the 
country,  nor  warders  in  any  castle  in  the  Route,  except  only  Dunlis; 
and  although  this  was  the  strongest  fortress  in  the  province,  it  was, 
nevertheless,  taken  by  the  Lord  Justice,  after  he  had  besieged  ib  for 
two  days  and  nights  ;  and  he  placed  the  Queen's  warders  in  it. 
The  Lord  Justice  having  tarried  ten  days  in  the  Route,  left  thirteen 
companies  of  soldiers  billeted  in  Ulster  for  the  purpose  of  reducing 
Sorley  Boy  ;  and  he  himself  returned  to  Dublin,  and  the  men  of 
Ireland  dispersed  for  their  several  homes. " 

The  Deputy  had  not  long  retired  from  the  Route  when 
Sorley  contrived  again  to  make  himself  master  of  Dunluce. 
The  event  is  thus  told  in  a  memoir  of  Sir  John  Perrot  : — 

"  Withal  there  happening  a  accident  of  the  loss  of  Dunluce  (which 
the  Deputy  had  now,  and  placed  a  ward  therein),  he  advertised  the 
same  unto  the  Privie  Council  in  this  manner.  When  he  first  took 
that  pile,  he  placed  a  pensioner  called  Peter  Gary  to  be  constable  of 
it,  with  a  ward  of  fourteen  soldiers,  thinking  him  to  be  of  the 
English  pale  or  race  ;  but  afterwards  found  that  he  was  of  the  North. 
This  constable  reposing  trust  in  those  of  his  country  and  kindred, 
had  gotten  some  of  them  unto  him,  and  discharged  the  English 
soldiers,  unknown  to  the  Deputy  ;  two  of  these  having  confederated 
with  the  enemy,  drew  up  fifty  of  them  by  night,  with  ropes  made  of 
withies.  Having  surprised  the  castle,  they  assaulted  a  little  tower, 
wherein  the  constable  was,  and  a  few  with  him.  They  at  first 
offered  their  life,  and  put  them  in  any  place  they  would  desire  (for 
so  had  the  traitors  conditioned  with  them  before)  ;  but  the  constable 
willing  to  pay  the  price  of  his  folly,  chose  rather  to  forgo  his  life  in 
manly  sort,  than  to  yield  unto  any  such  conditions  and  was  slain. " 
See  Dubourdieu's  Antrim. 

Scotland.  He  writes,  Oct.  20th,  1584,  to  Sir  Francis  Walshyngham, 
the  English  Secretary  of  State  : — "  For  a  token  I  have  sent  you 
holie  ColumkiU's  cross,  a  God  of  great  veneration,  with  Sarle  boy 
and  all  Ulster  ;  for  so  great  was  his  grace,  so  happy  he  thought  him- 
self that  could  get  a  kisse  of  the  said  crosse,  [  send  him  unto  you 
that  when  you  have  made  some  sacrifice  to  him  according  to  the 
disposition  you  beare,  to  Idolatrie,  you  male  if  you  please  bestowe 
him  upon  my  good  lady  Walshyngham,  or  my  lady  Sydney,  to  wear 
as  a  Jewell  of  weight  and  bigness  and  not  of  price  and  goodness, 
upon  some  solemn  feast  or  triumph  day  at  court. " 


280  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

The  governineat,  now  determined  to  bestow  to  Sorley 
what  it  could  not  keep  from  him,  induced  him  to  go 
through  a  form  of  submission,  and  in  June,  1586,  "the 
humble  suppliant,  Sorley  M'Connell,"  says  — "  Most 
Honourable  Governor — I  condemn  my  folly  in  leaving  such 
men  in  the  Castle  of  Dunluce,  within  this  her  Majesty's 
land,  as  I  should  say,  they  kept  it  in  the  name,  and  to  the 
use  of  the  king  of  Scots,  a  prince  that  honoreth  her  Majesty 
and  embraces  her  favour."  In  consideration  of  this  prayer  for 
pardon,  the  Deputy  confers  on  him  the  Tuogh  extending  from 
the  Bush  to  the  Bann,  together  with  the  Tuoghs  of  '^  Don- 
severige,"  Loghgill,"  and  "  Ballamonyn."      See  Carew  MS. 

In  1597,  Sir  John  Chichester,  then  governor  of  Carrick- 
fergus,  in  a  letter  to  Burghley  says  of  Sorley's  sons  : — 

' '  I  must  not  forget  to  acquaint  yor  Lp. ,  with  the  doubt  that  is 
held  by  us  of  James  M'Donnell  and  Randoll  his  brother;  who  albeit 
they  have  not  yet  absolutely  declared  themselves  in  disobedience, 
yet  they  have  so  behaved  themselves  of  late,  towards  her  Maties 
service,  as  it  promises  little  better  fruite  at"  their  hands  ;  for  tirste 
they  have  obstinately  refused  to  do  anie  service  without  maintenance 
from  her  Maty.  ;  detaineing  her  Hs  rents,  notwithstanding  I  have 
often  demanded  the  same  of  them.  They  have  likewise  broken  down 
two  of  their  castells,  the  one  called  Glinarme,  and  the  other  Red- 
bawne  (Red-bay),  forteffieng  themseves  only  at  Dunluce,  where  they 
have  planted  3  pieces  of  ordnaunce,  canon,  demi-canon,  and  culvering, 
'  which  were  had  out  of  one  of  the  Spanish  ships  comeing  upon  that 
cost  after  our  fight  with  them  at  sea  in  '88.  I  have  demanded  all 
the  said  peeces  of  them,  to  have  placed  them  in  Kerogfargus  for  the 
better  strengthening  of  the  towne,  but  they  have  utterly  denied  the 
delivery  of  them." 

The  Castle  of  Dunluce  continued  in  the  possession  of  the 
M'Donnells;  in  1641  it  was  held  by  an  oflScer  named  Digby, 
for  the  Earl  of  Antrim.  The  attempt  made  by  the  Irish  to 
seize  on  it  is  related  in  the  following  affidavit  taken  at 
Coleraine  on  the  10th  March,  1652-3  before  Thomas 
Cooke  and  Richard  Brasier,  Mayor  : — 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH. 


281 


"Gilladuffe  O'Cahan,  of  Dunseverick,  in  the  County  of  Antrim, 
Gentleman,  being  examined,  saith,  that  upon  Sunday,  the  24fch  of 
October,  1641,  in  the  morning,  he  came  from  his  house  in  Dun- 
severick into  the  town  of  Dunluce,  with  a  little  foot-boy,  having  no 
more  company  with  him,  with  an  intent  to  hear  Mass  there,  but 
there  being  no  Mass  there  that  day,  he,  this  examinant,  went  into 
James  Stewart's  house  in  Dunluce  to  drink  a  cup  of  wine,  and  that 
about  ten  of  the  clock,  the  same  Sunday  morning,  Henry  MacHenry, 
his  son-in-law,  and  his,  this  examinant's  son,  Manus  O'Cahan, 
came  unto  him  to  the  said  house,  where  they  drank  three  or  four 
bottles  of  wine.  That  about  one  or  two  of  the  clock  the  same 
Sunday,  in  the  afternoon,  Captam  MacPhedris,  Mr.  Archibald  Boyd, 
and  ten  or  twelve  horsemen,  with  swords  and  pistols  came  into 
Dunluce,  and  reported  that  Sir  Phelimy  Roe  O'Neill  and  the  Irish 
in  Tyrone  were  all  risen  in  rebellion,  and  that  said  Capt.  MacPhedris 
and  the  rest  with  them  made  the  Scotch  in  Dunluce  arm  themselves, 
and  draw  down  into  the  new  pavement  in  the  inner  court,  next  the 
drawbridge  and  the  outer  gate  of  Dunluce  Castle,  which  this 
examinant  hearing  of  and  observing  was  very  soon  after  told  by  one 
Doole  M 'Sporran,  a  Highland  Scotchman  who  dwelt  at  Bushmills, 
and  came  into  the  town  where  he,  this  examinant,  and  his  son-in- 
law,  Henry  M' Henry,  and  his  own  son  were  drinking  wine,  that  five 
hundred  of  Argyle's  men  were  coming  over  the  Bush  Bridge,  near  a 
mile  distant  from  Dunluce,  to  take  Dunluce  Castle  and  command 
the  country.  Upon  which  this  examinant  left  his  sons  drinking 
wine  in  the  said  house,  and  went  down  alone,  having  no  weapon  but 
his  rapier,  about  three  of  the  clock  in  the  same  afternoon,  into  the 
said  inner  court,  wherein  the  said  Scotch  were  gathered,  and  asked 
the  said  Captain  M'Phedris  what  news  brought  him  and  the  rest 
thither.  Captain  MacPhedris  told  him  that  the  said  Phelimy  O'Neill 
and  all  the  Irish  in  Tyrone  were  risen  in  rebellion  ;  whereupon  this 
examinant  told  the  same  Captain  that  he  rather  believed  the  Scots 
and  the  said  five  hundred  men  intended  to  join  together  to  take  the 
Castle  of  Dunluce.  Whereupon  this  examinant  alone  went  into  the 
castle  and  bolted  the  outer  gate  and  stayed  there  alone  about  half- 
an-hour.  And  then  Anthony,  Captain  Digby's  man,  who  had  the 
key  of  the  castle,  came  to  the  outer  gate,  and  this  examinant  un- 
bolted it  and  let  him  in,  and  demanded  of  him  the  key  of  the  inner 
gate,  which  he  gave  to  this  examinant,  who  opened  it  and  went  into 
the  castle.  And  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  afterwards  Captain 
Digby  and  his  said  sons,  Henry  M'Henry  and  Manus  O'Cahan,  came 


282  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

down  into  the  castle  with  about  eight  Englishmen  belonging  to  the 
Earl  of  Antrim  and  Japtain  Digby,  to  whom  this  examinant  opened 
the  castle  gate  and  let  them  in  ;  but  both  he  and  Captain  t)igby 
refused  to  suffer  the  Scotch  to  come  in,  lest  they  should  surprise  the 
arms  in  the  castle,  until  an  order  from  the  Deputy  of  Ireland,  or  the 
Earl  of  Antrim.  And  this  examinant,  being  demanded  whether  the 
news  were  true  that  five  hundred  men  of  Argyle's  were  coming  over 
the  Bush  Bridge,  said  it  was  a  false  alarm.  But  about  ten  of  the 
clock  the  same  Sunday  night  the  Earl  of  Antrim's  brother,  Mr. 
Alexander  M'Donnell,  Archibald  Stewart,  Esq.,  and  this  examinant's 
son,  Thurlough  O'Cahan,  came  into  the  new  pavement,  near  the 
castle  gate,  the  bridge  being  drawn  up  and  the  gate  locked,  and 
called  unto  the  sentinel,  whereupon  this  examinant  went  up  into  an 
upper  room  over  the  castle  gate,  and  thrusting  out  his  head,  asked 
who  they  were,  and  what  they  wanted.  The  said  Mr.  Alexander 
M  'Donnell  answered  that  he  was  there,  and  Mr.  Archibald  Stewart, 
and  this  examinant's  son,  Thurlough  Oge  O'Cahan,  who  desired  to 
come  into  the  castle.  And  this  examinant  and  Captain  Digby  told 
them  that  they  three  might  come  in  but  none  else  with  them,  and 
they  promising  that  none  would  enter  but  themselves,  the  draw- 
bridge was  let  down  and  the  gate  opened  at  the  said  hour  of  the 
night  and  the  three  entered.  That  after  Mr.  Alexander  M'Donnell, 
with  Mr.  Stewart  and  this  examinant's  son,  Thurlough  entered  the 
castle,  Mr.  Alexander  M'Donnell  asked  this  examinant  wherefore 
he  entered  the  Castle  of  Dunluce  in  such  a  manner  and  kept  out  the 
Scotch  ;  to  which  this  examinant  answered  that  it  was  by  reason  of 
the  beforementioned  report  of  the  iive  hundred  of  Argyle's  men  that 
were  coming  with  the  Scotch,  he  feared  would  surprise  the  castle. 
That  this  examinant  and  his  sons,  Henry  M 'Henry  and  Manus 
O'Cahan,  staid  in  the  castle  until  Thursday  following  with  the  said 
Captain  Digby  and  his  men,  upon  which  day  a  letter  coming  from 
the  Earl  of  Antrim,  directed  unto  Captain  Digby,  directing  him  to 
take  charge  of  the  said  castle  ;  this  examinant  and  his  sons  departed 
the  castle  and  went  to  their  own  homes."  The  examinant  then 
states  that,  two  days  after  the  attack  on  the  garrison  of  Portnaw 
the  Irish  commanders  coming  over  the  Bush  Water  sent  for  him, 
who  dwelt  about  a  mile  distant,  to  go  along  with  them  to  Ballintoy  ; 
that  the  Garrison  of  Ballintoy  being  summoned  to  yield,  refused,  and 
that  then  the  Irish,  about  three  hundred  men,  marched  to  Craig- 
ballynoe  and  encamped  there  ;  that  the  next  day  the  Irish  marched 
from  Craigballynoe  to  Dunluce.      "And  compelled  this  examinant 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  283 

to  go  along  with  them  to  see  if  Captain  Digby  would  take  this 
examinant's  counsel  sooner  than  theirs,  to  yield  the  Castle  of  Dun- 
luce  unto  them.  That  the  said  Captain  Digby  after  summons  sent 
by  them,  and  counsel  given  by  this  examinant  unto  him  by  a  boy, 
to  yield  the  castle  upon  quarter,  he  refused  to  yield  or  to  take 
quarter.  After  which  some  of  the  common  soldiers,  without  any 
command,  to  this  examinant's  knowledge,  set  a  house  on  fire,  whereby 
the  whole  town  of  Dunluce  was  burnt,  and  he  said  that  he  did  not 
see  any  killed  that  time  at  Dunluce,  but  he  heard  that  one  Scotch- 
man, called  John  Gait,  was  killed  by  one  of  Colonel  Manus  Roe 
O'Cahan's  soldiers,  M'Jasson,  by  the  new  buildings  in  the  court  next 
the  castle.  That  the  same  night  Dunluce  was  set  on  fire,  the  said 
commanders  marched  to  Ballinmagarry,  a  mile  distant  from  Dun- 
luce ;  and  that  he,  the  examinant,  and  his  son-in-law,  Henry 
M 'Henry,  Brian  M odder  M 'Henry,  stayed  with  them  that  night  ; 
and  that  the  next  day  the  said  commanders  and  their  men  marched 
towards  Oldstone,  and  this  examinant  went  to  his  own  home,  but 
where  his  sons-in-law  went  he  doth  not  know." 

The  Earl  reached  Dunluce  on  the  28th  of  April,  1642, 
and  offered  to  Monro  his  services  and  assistance  for  securing 
the  country.  Monro  made  him  a  visit  to  Dunluce,  where 
the  Earl  provided  for  him  a  gi*eat  entertainment,  but  it  was 
no  sooner  over  than  the  Major-General  made  him  a  prisoner, 
plundered  Dunluce  of  all  its  valuables,  and  appropriated  to 
himself  the  rents  of  the  estates,  though  repeatedly  ordered 
by  the  King  to  restore  them  to  the  Earl.  When  the  Act 
of  Explanation  restored  the  Earl,  then  Marquis,  to  his 
estate  in  1665,  he  found  his  Castle  of  Dunluce  so  far  gone 
to  ruin,  that  he  was  necessitated  to  transfer  his  residence 
to  Ballymagarry.  The  Primate,  Olivei-  Plunket,  visited 
him  and  in  a  letter  to  the  Propaganda,  dated  23rd  of 
February,  1671,  he  thus  describes  Dunluce  : — 

"  I  was  with  him  for  three  days  at  his  house  at  Dunluce  ;  it  is  a 
noble  building  :  the  palace  is  perched  on  a  high  rock  which  is  lashed 
on  all  sides  by  the  sea  ;  it  is  twelve  miles  distant  from  the  largest  of 
the  Hebrides."— i/i'/e  of  Oliver  Phcnket  by  Cardinal  Moran. 

V/hen  the  residence  of  the  Antrim  family  was  removed 


284  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR, 

to  Bally magarry,  and  afterwards  to  Glenarm,  Dunluce  was 
abandoned  and  gradually  passed  into  its  present  state  of 
picturesque  ruin. 

The  "  Gallows  Hill,"  to  the  south-east  of  the  casde,  by 
its  very  name  reminds  us  of  the  bloody  purposes  for  which 
it  was  used,  but  the  old  town  of  Dunluce  has  completely 
disappeared.  A  few  traces  of  its  Scottish  inhabitants  may 
be  found  in  the  old  churchyard.  "  Around  the  edges  of  a 
tombstone,"  says  Mr.  Hill,  in  The  McDonnells  of  Antrim,  "  is 
the  following  inscription  : — Heir  Lyeth  the  Children  of 
Walter  Kyd,  Marchant  of  Dunluce,  Burgess  of  Irwin.  He 
made  thes  Stone  Tenth  of  March,  1630."  Inside  the  old 
ruinous  church  on  the  north  wall,  a  tablet  of  beautiful  grey 
limestone  bears  the  following  inscription  : — "  Here  under 
Lyeth  the  Body  Florence  M'Phllip,  alias  Hamilton,  Late 
wife  of  Archibald  M- Philip,  of  Dunluce,  Mercht.  And 
Daughter  to  Captaine  Bohert  Hamilton,  of  Clady,  who 
Departed  This  Life  The  20th  of  July,  1674." 

Mr.  Hill  has  published  the  will  of  William  Boyd,  a  rich 
merchant,  which  was  "  given  up  be  his  owne  mouth  att 
Dunluce,  the  nynthe  off  December,  anno.  162i."  The 
town  was  burned,  more  by  accident  than  design  in  1642,  as 
"we  have  seen  in  the  deposition  of  Grilladuffe  O'Cahan,  and 
the  inhabitants  seem  to  have  been  treated  as  humanely  as 
the  rules  of  war  would  permit.  James  M'Donnell  in  his 
letter  to  the  occupants  of  Ballintoy  Castle  writes,  that 
he  offers  them  quarter  "  which  you  shall  fairly  have,  as  I 
have  done  with  Dunluce,  which  is  to  set  them  a  booty  and 
to  suffer  all  such  that  pleaseth  to  depart  freely,  and  such  as 
will  stay  to  live  in  the  country  with  some  such  gentillmen 
in  the  country  as  they  will  choose  to  be  with  hereafter." 
The  tablet  erected  in  1674,  by   M'Philip,  a   merchant  of 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH. 


285 


Dunluce,  and  some  documents,  show,  that  the  town  survived 
the  burning  of  1642,  but  it  has  long  since  ceased  to  exist. 
In  the  re-grant  of  his  estate  to  Sir  Randall  M'Donnell,  made 
by  the  Crown  in  1606,  he  had  a  license  to  hold  at  Dunluce  a 
Saturday  market  and  a  fair  on  the  2nd  of  November,  which 
notwithstanding  the  change  of  the  style  continued  to  be 
held  on  the  2nd  Old-Style,  A  curious  incident  illustrative 
of  the  determined  opposition  which  the  Marquis  of  Antrim 
received  from  the  "Adventurers  and  Soldiers"  even  after 
he  was  put  in  possession  of  his  estate  in  October,  1663,  by 
the  SheriflF,  occurred  at  the  fair  held  in  Dunluce  on  the  2nd 
of  November,  1663.  The  circumstance  is  told  in  the 
deposition  afterwards  made  by  Mr.  Archibald  Stewart's 
assistants  : — 

"  As  they  came  in  sight  of  the  place  where  the  fair  was  kept  they 
saw  a  pole  set  up  with  a  white  paper  upon  it  and  about  twenty  men 
standing  about  it,  being  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  Mr. 
Stewart  said  unto  them  that  he  believed  that  pole  was  set  up  by 
the  appointment  of  Tristram  Beresford,  Esq.  (ancestor  of  the  Water- 
ford  family— one  of  the  Adventurers),  and  his  reason  was  because 
he  had  letters  from  Coleraiue,  and  severals  in  the  country,  acquainting 
him  that  the  aforesaid  Mr.  Bersford  was  making  preparations  to 
take  up  the  customs  of  said  fair  by  force,  notwithstanding  my  Lord 
Marquis  of  Antrim's  decree,  and  injunction  gotten  in  his  Majesty's 
Court  of  Claims.  And  Mr.  Stewart  coming  into  the  town,  alighted 
from  his  horse  at  the  house  of  one  David  M'Kinley,  and  desired  the 
deponents  to  ride  on  to  the  horse  market.  And  the  aforesaid 
Alexander  Macauley,  fair-keeper,  coming  up  to  that  pole,  which 
Mr.  Beresford's  men  had  set  up,  desired  to  know  of  those  who  stood 
about  it,  by  whose  authority  they  had  set  it  up  ;  they  said  by  Mr. 
Beresford's— upon  which  Alexander  Macauley  desired  in  his  Majesty's 
name,  that  they  should  take  it  down,  by  reason  that  the  Sheriff  of 
the  County  had  given  my  Lord  Antrim  a  full  and  legal  possession  of 
his  estate,  and  so  of  the  customs  of  the  fair  amongst  the  rest.  But 
one  William  Cox,  a  disbanded  soldier  that  commanded  that  party 
told  the  said  Alexander  Macauley  that  he  would  not  remove  it, 
upon  which  the  said  Alexander  Macauley  put  forth  his  hand  to  take 


286  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

down  the  pole,  and  to  set  up  another  in  my  Lord  Antrim's 
either  the  said  Cox,  or  some  of  his  company  took  up  a  club  which 
he  had  in  his  hand  and  offered  to  beat  him  ;  upon  which  the  Constable 
of  Dunluce,  being  present,  called  for  assistance  in  his  Majesty's 
name  to  see  the  peace  kept,  at  which  many  of  the  deponents  turning 
about,  and  seeing  them  with  their  swords  drawn  came  up  amongst 
them  commanding  them  in  his  Majesty's  name  to  keep  the  peace. " 

Beresford's  party  were  disarmed  and  the  Marquis  finally 
regained  bis  estate  by  tbe  Act  of  Explanation, 

A  headland  in  tbe  demesne  of  James  Leslie,  Esq.,  jutting 
into  tbe  sea,  about  a  mile  from  tbe  Castle  of  Dunluce,  has 
been  at  one  time  strongly  fortified  on  tbe  land  side  by  a 
moat  and  a  parapet  ;  the  moat  extends  170  yards,  and 
averages  18  feet  in  width,  and  tbe  parapet  which  is  composed 
chiefly  of  earth  rises  from  10  to  20  feet  above  tbe  bottom 
of  tbe  moat,  and  is  from  20  to  28  feet  broad  at  tbe  base. 
This  mode  of  fortifying  headlands  is  very  common  along 
the  coast  of  County  Antrim.  An  unreliable  popular 
tradition  ascribes  the  formation  of  this  fortification  to  tbe 
to  the  M'Donnells,  before  they  became  possessed  of  Dunluce. 
See  Ordnance  Survey  MS. 

Sir  Thomas  Phillips,  on  the  20tb  of  June,  1606,  had  a 
grant  of  tbe  customs  and  subsidies,  small  and  great,  upon 
all  merchandises,  wares,  and  goods,  imported  and  exported 
at  Portrusb  and  Port-Ballintrae — '  tbe  port  of  tbe  town  of 
the  strand'  (except  tbe  duties  on  wines),  to  held  for  21 
years.  On  tbe  20th  April,  1609,  he  obtained  a  licence  to 
make  aqua  vitm,  (whiskey),  in  Coleraine  county  and  in  tlie 
Route,  probably  at  Bushmills,  be  had  obtained  a  temporary 
lease  of  Portrusb,  but  it  does  not  appear  how  he  contrived 
to  have  an  interest  in  Port  Ballintrea. 

There  was  a  fort  in  the  farm  of  James  Millar,  in  Boney- 
classagh,  which  was  destroyed  in  1837.     There  is  a  Standing 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  287 

Stone,  3  feet  high,  2^  feet  broad,  and  1  foot  thick,  in  the 
farm  of  John  M'Fetridge,  in  the  same  townland.  There  is 
a  cave  in  the  farm  of  Samuel  M'Farland  constructed  in  the 
usual  way  ;  it  is  supposed  to  extend  neai-ly  300  yards,  and 
contains  several  apartments.  There  are  the  ruins  of  a  fort 
in  the  farm  of  Hugh  Corkadale,  in  Gortnacapple  ;  and  in 
the  same  farm  there  is  a  Standing  Stone,  3|  feet  high,  2  feet 
broad,  and  1^  feet  thick.  There  is  a  similar  one  in  the 
farm  of  James  Anderson.  There  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of 
James  Martin,  in  the  townland  of  Stanalane.  See  Ord. 
Survey  MS. 

There  is  an  interesting  cave  among  high  rocks,  called  the 
Craig,  in  the  townland  of  Ballaghmore,  or  Bushmills  ;  its 
walls,  in  parts,  are  built  of  stones,  and  in  parts,  the  solid 
rock  serves  for  a  wall  ;  its  roof  is  as  usual  of  flagstones  ; 
the  cave  extends  61  feet,  and  is  divided  into  4  apartments ; 
the  most  interesting  of  them  is  3|  feet  long,  3  feet  broad, 
and  5  feet  high,  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock  ;  the  door  into 
this  apartment,  which  is  14  feet  from  the  entrance  of  the 
cave,  is  27  inches  high,  and  16  inches  wide.  There  was 
formerly  a  well  in  the  cave,  but  it  is  now  closed.  The 
ancient  church  of  Portkaman  is  in  this  townland.  In  the 
Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  "  Ecclesia  de  Portkamen"  is 
valued  at  £8  10s  8d.  The  Terrier  enters  "  Ecclesia  de 
Port-Cammon  hath  a  townland  of  St.  John's,  upon  which 
the  church  standeth  and  one  quarter  glebe.  In  old  time 
the  Prior  of  St.  John's  had  the  presentation;  the  bishops 
are  not  accustomed  to  take  from  church  lands,  it  pays 
Proxies,  20/-;  Refections,  20/-."  The  Ulster  Visitation  Book 
of  1622,  reports — "  Ecclesia  de  Port  Camon  ruynous." 
The  ancient  church  of  Port  Camon  stood  in  the  graveyard 
attached   to   the    present   Protestant  church  of  Bushmills, 


288  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

and  the  following  extract  from  a  document  copied  into  the 
Ulster  Inquisitions.  No.  23  Car,  1.  Antrim,  explains 
how  Port  Camon  obtained  the  name  of  Bushmills, 
"24th  September,  1633.  The  jury  found  a  lease, 
cancelled,  15th  of  August,  in  the  4th  year  of  the  reign  of 
the  late  King  James,  whereby  Sir  Randall  M'Donnell,  of 
the  County  of  Antrim,  knight,  did  demise  unto  Matthew 
Logan,  his  whole  mill  lyeing  upon  the  river  of  the  Boish, 
under  the  church  of  Portcamon,  with  5  acres  of  land 
bordering  upon  .  .  .  Posse  his  land,  upon  the  north- 
west of  the  said  river,  Randall  then  Viscount  Dunluce, 
and  now  Earl  of  Antrym,  did  by  his  deed,  dated  22nd 
March,  1619,  demise  unto  John  Logan,*  all  that  his  3  water- 

*  John  Logan's  mill,  the  Walkmill,  is  at  present  turned  to  other 
uses  ;  in  it  the  great  turbines  now  put  in  motion  the  large  dynamos 
that  drive  the  wonderous  electric  tramway  carriages  between  Bush- 
mills and  Portrush — the  first  electric  railway  that  has  been  attempted 
in  Great  Britain  or  Ireland.  In  the  will  of  his  brother-in-law, 
William  Boyd,  of  Dunluce,  made  in  1624,  John  Logan  is  bequeathed 
"  ane  new  cloak  ofTbrowne  Inglisch  cloath,  not  mad  with  lease  and 
buttonis  to  itt,  and  ane  schooting  peac."  John  after  two  and  a- 
half  centuries  with  his  shooting  piece,  and  his  brown  English  cloth 
cloak  and  its  buttons,  would  attract  considerable  attention  on  the 
banks  of  the  Bush,  but  the  ancient  talc  of  the  Tain  Bo  Chuailgnt, 
describes  the  dress  of  person  who  lived  in  the  place  exactly  sixteen 
centuries  earlier.  * '  A  beautiful  active  champion  was  at  the  head  of 
this  company  ;  he  wore  a  blue,  fine-bordered  shirt  next  his  skin, 
with  carved  and  interlaced  clasps  of  white  bronze,  with  real  buttons 
of  burnished  red  gold  in  its  openings  and  breast.  He  wore  above  it 
a  cloak  mottled  with  the  splendour  of  all  the  most  beautiful  colours." 
This  was  Amergin,  the  son  of  Ecetsalach,  the  smith,  the  good  poet 
from  the  river  Buais  in  the  North,  This  Lena,  with  its  gold  buttons 
n  its  openings  and  breast,  and  carved  and  interlaced  brooches, 
seemed  like  the  Doric  Chiton,  which  was  fastened  over  both  shoulders 
by  clasps  and  buckles  often  of  considerable  size.  See  O'Curry's 
Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Ancient  Irish.  The  Book  of  Leinster, 
in  a  tale  relating  the  intolerable  churlishness  of  Atherne,  the  poet 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  289 

mills,  whereof  2  are  under  onra  I'oofe,  standing  upon  the 
river  of  the  .  .  .  to  which  2  mills  there  are  5  acres  of 
arable  land  belonging;,  viz.,  the  5  acres  of  Mullaghmore 
(perhaps  Ballaghraore),  together  with  other  profits  there- 
unto belonging,  lying  near  the  said   ehurch    of  Portcamon, 

laureate,  tells  a  few  incidents  connected  with  Amergin  and  his 
father.  Ecetsalach,  the  smith,  was  a  master  of  his  craft  "  so  that 
there  was  none  better  than  he  either  before  or  after."  To  him  was 
born  a  son,  Amergin.  This  child  was  fourteen  years  without 
speaking,  but  on  one  occasion,  when  the  poet  Atherne  sent  his 
gillie,  Greth,  on  an  errand  to  the  smith,  the  messenger  was  saluted 
thrice  by  the  child  with  a  cry  of  innith  Greth  gruth — '  does  Greth 
eat  curds,  &c.'  This  greeting  from  the  hitherto  dumb  child  con- 
founded the  gillie,  who  told  the  story  to  his  master  and  at  the  same 
time  warned  him  as  to  the  probable  rivalry  of  this  precocious  youth. 
On  the  father's  return  home  he  was  informed  of  the  incident  ;  where- 
upon the  smith,  divining  that  the  irate  poet  would  come  and  kill 
the  boy,  made  a  form  in  clay  with  a  suitable  dress,  and  laid  this 
down  as  if  it  were  the  child  asleep,  so  that  the  subsequent  murderous 
attempt  of  Atherne  was  frustrated.  The  irritable  poet  afterwards 
repented  of  his  wrong  intention  ;  and  matters  were  smoothed  over 
by  Atherne  taking  the  boy,  of  whom  he  made  a  famous  poet,  leaving 
to  him  the  laureateship  of  Ulster.  As  we  have  seen  above  he  is 
described  in  the  Tain  Bo  Chuailgne,  as  "the  good  poet  from  the 
Buais  in  the  North."  The  Bush  is  represented,  in  all  the  bardic 
stories,  as  one  of  the  ten  rivers  which  were  in  Ireland  on  the  arrival 
of  the  first  colonists  ;  and  in  Keating  and  the  Chronicum  Scotorum, 
it  is  described  as  between  Dal-Araidhe  and  Dal-Riada.  We  have 
already  remarked  that  the  territory  to  the  east  of  the  Bann  was  in 
the  days  of  St.  Patrick  in  the  possession  of  the  Dalaradian  princes. 
In  the  days  of  King  Conaire,  who  lived  in  the  time  of  our  Saviour, 
"Great  abundance  of  nuts,"  say  the  ancient  writers.  See  Annals  of 
the  Four  Masters,  a.m.  5160,  "were  found  upon  the  (banks  of)  the 
(Boyne)  and  the  Buais  (Bush.)  The  cattle  were  without  keepers  in 
his  reign,  on  account  of  the  greatness  of  the  peace  and  concord. 
His  reign  was  not  thunder-producing  nor  stormy,  for  the  wind 
did  not  take  a  hair  of  the  cattle  from  the  middle  of  Autumn  to  the 
middle  of  Spring."  In  the  Chronicle  of  Maelmura,  written  about 
the  year  850,  the  Bushfoot  is  called  Libiur  Biiasse  bruchtait  srotha — 
'  Inver  Buasse  of  bursting  torrents.' " 


290  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

witliin  the  barony  of  Dunluce ;   and  the   other  mill  within 
the  tuogh  of  Dunsavericke  and  barony  of  Gary." 

Civil  Parish  of  Billy  (for  the  remainder  of  the  civil 
parish  see  p.  132). — In  Ballynarry  Lower  there  are  the 
remains  of  a  fort,  which  was  nearly  circular,  45  yards  in 
diameter  and  10  feet  high  ;  at  the  north-east  side  there  is 
the  entrance  to  a  cave,  which  is  now  filled  with  water.  In 
Ballyloughmore  there  are  the  ruins  of  the  old  Castle  of 
Bally  lough.  There  only  i-emain  a  portion  of  the  northern 
side-wall  and  a  part  of  the  western  end  ;  the  latter  was  25 
feet  wide  on  the  outside  and  8|  feet  thick  ;  the  ruins  are 
about  40  feet  in  height.  In  the  western  end  are  the  re- 
mains of  a  window  at  the  height  of  about  30  feet,  a  narrow 
room  opens  from  this  window  into  the  thickness  of  the  wall ; 
at  the  northern  end  of  the  wall  there  is  a  small  circular 
arched  apartment,  4|  feet  in  diameter  and  about  the  same 
height.  There  is  in  another  apartment  5  feet  8  inches  by 
7  feet  2  inches,  to  which  a  flight  of  steps  leads  from  a 
narrow  door.  There  are  the  remains  of  a  door  and  window 
in  the  north  side-wall ;  that  wall  is  21  feet  long.  The 
Four  Masters,  under  the  year  1544,  relate  that  O'Donnell 
came  into  the  Route  at  the  invitation  of  O'Kane,  and  took 
from  M'Quillan  the  Island  of  Inishlochan  in  the  Bann, 
which  he  delivered  over  to  O'Kane,  and  they  add  : — 

On  this  expedition  O'Donnell  also  took  the  Castle  of  Baile-an-lacha 
(Ballylough),  and  obtained  many  spoils,  consisting  of  weapons, 
armour,  copper,  iron,  butter,  and  provisions,  in  these  towns.  He 
afterwards  took  the  island  of  Loch-Burran  (see  56),  and  the  island  of 
Loch-Leithinnsi  (see  p.  134),  where  he  likewise  obtained  many  spoils. 
He  burned  the  whole  country  around,  and  then  returned  home  safe 
after  victory.  .  .  .  The  sons  of  MacDonnell,  James  and  Colla, 
came  (into  the  Route)  with  a  band  of  Scots,  at  the  instance  of 
MacQuillan  ;  and  he  and  they  proceeded  to  Inis-an-lochain 
(Loughan  Island)  and  took  that  town  from  O'Kane's  warders.    Brian, 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH,  291 

the  son  of  Donagh  O'Kane  and  all  that  were  with  him  on  Inis-an- 
lochaiii  were  burned,  and  also  all  the  property,  arms,  and  armour. 
Great  depredations  and  injuries  were  committed  by  MacQuillin  upon 
O'Kane  on  that  occasion.  O'Kane  hired  gallow-glasses  of  the  race 
of  Rory  M'Sweeny;  and  one  day  as  MacQuillin  crossed  the  Bann, 
and  seized  on  a  prey,  O'Kane  and  his  gallow-glasses  pursued  and 
overtook  him,  stripped  him  of  the  prey,  and  slew  and  wounded  a 
great  number  of  his  people. 

Until  about  60  years  ago,  persons  of  the  name  of  O'Kane 
used  to  come  every  year  to  the  old  castle  of  Ballylough ;  and 
liaving  dined  under  its  walls  on  some  provisions  which  they 
carried  with  them,  duly  renewed  their  claim  to  their  ancient 
family  possessions.  At  a  short  distance  to  the  south  of  the 
castle  there  is  a  piece  of  somewhat  elevated  grouiad  rising 
out  of  a  partially  reclaimed  bog.  This  was  formerly  stockaded, 
and  was  a  cranoge,  partly  natural  and  partly  artificial.  A 
canoe,  27  feet  long,  which  was  found  at  the  island,  now  lies 
in  front  of  Dr.  Traill's  residence.  The  Ordnance  Memoir 
M.S.,  by  F.  Stokes,  1837,  has  the  following  entry: — "In 
Baliyloughbeg  there  stood  in  a  bog  an  oblong  fort  or  mound, 
21  by  14  yards  and  7  feet  high,  fenced  round  with  large 
stones  in  the  same  manner  as  the  fort  at  Carnside.  It  is 
said  that  human  bones  were  found  in  it^  and  an  earthen  nru 
with  some  fragments  of  other  urns.''  In  that  townland 
there  was  formerly  a  fort  called  Castle  Dirk,  it  was  probably 
a  Cashiol.  In  demolishing  it  some  old  silver  coin  was 
found.  In  1830  there  was  found  ia  Baliyloughbeg  a  stone 
drinking-cup  or  ladle ;  the  cup  of  the  ladle  is,  it  is  said,  5 
inches  in  diameter  and  2|  inches  in  depth  ;  the  handle  is  3 
inches  long,  and  has  a  circular  hole  through  the  end  of  it. 
It  is  said  to  be  at  present  in  a  museum  in  Glasgow. 

Ecclesla  de  Bile  is  valued  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas 
at  £36 — the  highest  valuation  of  any  church  in  the  diocese. 


292  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

It  is  probable  that,  at  the  date  of  the  Taxation,  as  in  the 
early  Protestant  arrangement,  Ballintoy  and  Rathlin  were 
annexed  to  Billy,  for  these  churches  are  omitted  in  that 
document.  In  1487  Bernard  O'hele  (now  O'Hale)  was 
rector  of  Bill,  in  the  diocese  of  Connor. — Reg.  Octav.  fol. 
289.  dors.  See  Reeves's  Antiq.  p.  78.  The  Terrier  enters — 
"  Ecclesia  de  Bille  hath  20  acres  in  glebe  ;  it  pays  proxies 
20s  ;  Refections,  20s  ;  Synodals,  2s."  The  Ulster  Visitation 
5oo^  of  1622,  describes  the  state  of  the  chui'ch — "Ecclesia 
de  Billie — the  walls  stand  with  an  old  roofe ;  the  now 
Archdeacon  hath  bestowed  =£10  ster.  upon  the  repayration 
of  the  church,  and  hath  mancion-house  £60  ster.  ;  the 
church  hath  20  acres  of  glebe  land."  Bile  signifies  *  an 
aged  tree,'  because  probably  there  had  been  near 
it  some  ancient  tree  that  had  been  in  Pagan  times  an 
object  of  religions  veneration.  The  wall  which  separates 
the  Protestant  church  from  the  graveyard  is,  in  part,  the 
north  wall  of  the  ancient  church,  which  measured  77  feet  by 
19  feet  8  inches.  Some  of  the  side-walls  and  a  small  piece 
of  the  eastern  gable  are  still  remaining,  they  vary  from  two 
to  three  feet  in  breadth.  It  is  said  that  the  ancient  church 
waa  reedified  for  Protestant  service  about  150  years  ago,  and 
that  it  was  pulled  down  in  1821.''^  Near  the  north-east 
corner  is  the  ancient  Holy  Well  now  called  the  Glebe  Well. 
In  the  townland  of  Carnmoon  there  was  found  a  cave  in 
the  farm  of  James  M'Pherson,  and  in  it  were  a  hearth  and 
ashes,  it  is  now  closed  up.     Two  caves  are  in  the  farm  of 

*  On  a  tombstone  of  one  of  the  Scottish  settlers  is  inscribed  in  old 
English  letters— i7e(>.  Lycth.  The.  Honourable.  Man.  Callit. 
Antony  Kennedy,  of.  Baharagli.  Who  Departed.  The.  Threde. 
Day.  of.  December.   The  yeir.  of.  Our  Lord.  God.  1620. 

This  Anthony  Kennedy  was  from  Balsaragh  in  Ayrshire ;  he 
resided  at  Turnarobert  near  Armoy.     The  Earl  of  Antrim  granted  to 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  293 

James  Hamill  in  Straidbilly,  but  they  also  are  closed.  In 
Ballyoglagh  there  was  formerly  an  ancient  funereal 
monument;  it  was  16  feet  in  length,  by  about  5  feet 
in  width,  and  was  bounded  at  the  sides  by  stone  columns 
usual  in  a  "  Giant's  Grave."  One  of  these  columns,  4  feet 
high,  still  remains.  Resting  on  these  rude  columns  were 
several  canopy  stones,  each  from  5  to  7  feet  long.  At  a 
little  distance  from  this  monument  there  is  a  very  large 
stone  artifically  propped  up  by  smaller  stones.  A  hearth  and 
ashes  were  found  in  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  Siles  Johnstone, 
in  the  townland  of  Craig ;  it  is  at  present  closed  up.  In  the 
same  townland  there  are  the  remains  of  a  cairn,  formerly 
circular  with  a  diameter  of  about  40  yards  ;  at  present  it  is 
15  yards  by  10  yards.  There  was  on  the  north-east  side  of 
it  an  enclosure,  21  yards  in  length  and  4  feet  wide,  formed 
by  short  stone  columns,  across  part  of  which  was  laid  a  large 
canopy  stone;  it  was  about  9  feet  long  and  1|  feet  thick  ; 
a  fragment  of  it,  said  to  be  about  half  its  original  size,  still 
remains.  At  a  short  distance  to  the  south-east  a  small 
tumulus  rises  to  the  height  of  10  feet  above  the  surface  of 
the  field  ;  this  is  called  the  Loiighan  Hill  from  a  ditch,  now 
destroyed,  which  formerly  surrounded  it  and  was  filled  with 
water.  In  the  cairn  more  than  20  Cinerary  urns  have  from 
time  to  time  been  discovered.  Bones  and  ashes,  but  no 
i;rns,  were  found  at  some  depth  beneath  the  clay  in  the 
west  end  of  the  enclosure  or  "  Giant's  Grave."  There  stood 
another  cairn  at  the  distance  of  three  furlongs  to  the  north- 
him  in  perpetuity  Ballyloughbeg,  Mareside,  Turnarobert,  and  a 
corn -mill.  His  wife,  who  had  an  interest  in  these  lands,  was  Ann, 
daughter  of  Quintin  Moore.  Their  son  Walter  afterwards  married  a 
daughter  of  William  Boyd  of  Dunluce.  That  Walter  seems  to  have 
resigned  Ballyloughbeg  and  Cilley  to  the  Earl  of  Antrim — see 
Ulsttr  Inquisitions. 


294  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

west,  and  in  the  same  townland  ;  in  it  were  several  paved 
hearths  on  wliich  were  ashes.     Two  Standing  Stones,  now 
destroyed,  stood  about  30  yards  north-east  of  the  cairn.    On 
a  rocky  hill  in  this  townland  are  the  remains  of  a  fort,  which 
was  originally  25  yards  in  diameter ;  the  parapet  was  faced, 
both  on   the  inner  and   outer  sides,  with   large   stones   set 
perpendicularly  in  the  ground,  and  now,  when  the  earth  and 
stones  have  been  removed  from  among  them  those  that  re- 
main have  the  appearance  of  a  Stone  Circle,  though  it  is 
well   known   that   they   are   only  the  facing  stones  of  the 
parapet.     At  the  distance  of  45  yards   to  the  north,  there  is 
a  small  mound,  nearly  circular,  having  on  its  top  a  hole,  10 
feet  by  6  feet  and  2  feet  deep.       This  mound  was  formerly 
covei'ed  with  a  cairn.    There  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  George 
Fullerton  in  Ballyness,  but  it  is  now  closed.     There  is  also 
a  cave  in  Eagry,   which  is  closed  up  ;  some   parts  of  it  are 
said  to  be  7  feet  in  height  ;  it  passes  under  the  dwelling  and 
office  houses  of  Samuel   M'^Curdy.     In  this  townland   were 
found  the  bronze  horns,  which  were  presented  to  Dr.  Clarke. 
They  were  found  in  the  subsoil  of  a  bog,  not  far  from  the 
■'  Wine  Hill,"  after  a  great  flood  had  swept  away  the  turfy 
soil,  which  concealed  them.     They  were  nearly  of  the  shape 
and  size  of  a  bullock's  horns  ;  they  weighed  each  6|  lbs., 
and  were  fitted  with  mouth-pieces.     It  is  said  that  they  are 
deposited  in  some  museum  in  London.     The    Whie  Hill  in 
this  townland  is  said  to  have  received  its  name  from  a 
banquet  given  on  it  by  the  MacDonnells  to  the  MacQuillins, 
at    which    each    MacDonnell   so  contrived,    that   he   had   a 
MacQuilkn  on  his  left  hand,  and  on  a  given  signal,  drawing 
his  dirk  slaughtered  his  unsuspecting  guest.     The  site  of  the 
massacre  is  on  the  farm  of  Robert  Doon,  who  in  cultivating 
it  frequently  turns  up  human  bones,  which  are  supposed  to 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  :^yt> 

be  those  of  the  slaughtered  MacQuillins.  There  formerly 
was  a  triangular  entrenchment  near  the  hill,  but  it  has  been 
removed  by  the  farmer.  There  is  a  cave  in  the  abrupt  face 
of  a  rock  in  the  farm  of  Hugh  Anderson,  Esq.,  in  Clogher- 
Anderson  ;  the  entrance,  to  which  there  is  access  by  rugged 
steps,  is  about  14  feet  above  the  base  of  the  rock^  and  5 
feet  beneath  its  top.  From  the  entrance  it  penetrates  the 
rock  by  two  tunnels,  one  of  which  is  23  feet  long,  6|  feet 
wide,  and  from  2|  to  3  feet  high  ;  the  sides  are  neatly  hewn, 
and  the  roof  presents  the  appearance  of  an  arch  ;  the  other 
tunnel  appears  to  be  about  18  feet  long,  but  the  passage 
into  it  is  blocked  up  with  stones  and  clay  fallen  from  the 
roof;  it  was  lower  and  narrower  than  the  former.  In  the 
townland  of  Clogher  there  is  a  similar  cave  hollowed 
artificially  out  of  a  rock  near  the  farm-yard  of  Sir  F.  W. 
Macnaghten.*       Within    a    circular    grove    in    Dundarave 

*  The  Macnaghtens  of  Dunderave,  descend  from  Edmond  of  Beardi- 
ville  (the  uncle  of  the  last  John  of  Benvardin);  he  was  born  in  1679,  and 
lived  to  the  age  of  102.  The  Macnaghtens  of  Scotland  elected  his 
eldest  son,  Edmond  Alexander,  of  Beardiville,  and  his  heirs  to  the 
chieftanship  of  their  clan,  and  the  patent  conferring  this  dignity 
was  registered  A.D.  1832,  in  the  Heralds  Office.  On  the  death  of 
Edmund  Alexander  in  1832,  the  estates  passed  to  his  brother,  Sir 
Francis  Workman,  who,  in  1809,  received  the  honour  of  knighthood, 
on  being  appointed  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Judicature  of 
Madras,  and  was  created  a  baronet  in  1836.  He  married  in  1787, 
the  daughter  of  Sir  William  Dunkin,  of  Clogher,  near  Bushmills, 
sometime  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Judicature  at  Calcutta. 
The  honours  conferred  on  Sir  Francis  Workman  Macnaughten  have 
descended  through  his  son  to  liis  grandson,  the  third  and  present 
baronet. 

Clogher,  Coulkenny,  Ballybennaght,  and  Ballynarris,  were  leased 
in  1617,  by  the  first  earl,  at  £24  2s  6d,  to  Donnell  Coggie  M'Dufty. 
See  Ulster  Jnquisions  and  the  Decree  of  Innocence  in  Javour  of  the 
Marquis  of  Antrim.  The  name  M'Dufi'y  has  now  assumed  the 
modern  form  of  M'Afee. 


296  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

demesne,  but  in  the  townland  of  Kilcoobin,  there  are  the 
remains  of  an  ancient  Christian  cemetery.  In  this  town- 
land  there  are  two  caves,  one  in  the  farm  of  Bartholemy 
Colgan,  and  another  in  that  of  Francis  O'Kane,  both  caves 
are  now  closed.  In  1836  there  was  found  in  a  bog  in  Cam- 
kirk  an  ancient  spade  made  of  oak.  In  the  same  townland 
there  is  on  the  summit  of  the  hill  the  site  of  the  earn,  which 
gives  name  to  Carnkirk,  and  south  of  it,  at  the  distance  of 
about  80  perches,  are  the  remains  of  a  Cashiol,  which  is 
entered  on  the  Ordnance  Map  Carnkirli,  Castle.  The  Cashiol, 
or  stone  fort,  which  gives  name  to  Castlenagree,  is  about  80 
perches  to  the  south-east  of  that  of  Cai'nkirk.  There  is  the 
site  of  a  similar  structure  one  statute  mile  north-east  of  that 
of  Castlenagree  in  Ballymoy.  There  is  in  that  townland  the 
site,  but  no  remains,  of  a  fortified  house,  called  Burnt 
House,  said  to  have  been  the  residence  of  Eingan  Stewart, 
until  it  was  burned  by  the  Irish  in  the  war  of  1641.  It  is 
said  that  a  man-servant,  mounted  on  a  horse,  and  carrying 
behind  him  the  nurse  of  the  family  and  the  infant  heir, 
effected  his  escape  to  Ballintoy  by  causing  the  horse  that 
bore  them  to  leap  over  the  Horse  Leap,  near  Ballintoy 
(unfortunately  for  the  truth  of  the  story  the  place  gave 
name  to  the  townland,  Lemnagh  — '  the  horse  leap,' 
hundreds  of  years  before  the  war  of  1641).  In  Lisna- 
gunogue  there  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  Robert  Given, 
but  it  is  closed.  In  the  farm  of  Neal  M'Cay,  in  the 
same  townland,  there  is  an  extensive  cave,  consisting  of 
several  tunnels,  driven  from  the  side  of  a  small  valley, 
through  the  surface  of  a  soft  rock.  In  the  farm  of  James 
Getty  in  Carnside  there  are  the  remains  of  a  fort.  It  was 
28  yards  in  diameter  at  the  top,  but  at  present  it  is  greatly 
injured.     It  was  faced  round  the  base  on  the  outside  with 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  297 

very  large  stones.  Tradition  says  that  in  demolishing  it 
from  time  to  time  human  bones  were  found  beneath  the 
surface,  and  that  about  the  year  1760,  the  bodies  of  three 
sailors  were  interred  in  it.  From  that  it  appears,  that  it  had 
been  used  as  a  burying-place  (it  probably  was  an  ancient 
ecclesiastical  Cashiol).  There  was  a  small  parapet  around 
its  top  ;  the  whole  was  9  feet  high.  In  the  farm  of  Robert 
M'Curdy  in  Ijisserlus  there  was  a  fort,  which  gave  name  to 
the  townland.  When  the  fort  was  removed  a  burial-ground 
was  found  within  and  around  it  for  the  space  of  seventy 
yards.  In  the  farm  of  William  Kelsey  in  Tonduff  thei-e  is 
a  cave,  which  is  not  at  present  open.  Two  urns  containing 
bones,  were  found  near  each  other  in  TondufF,  one  was 
placed  mouth  downwards  on  a  flat  stone,  and  the  other  had 
its  mouth  upwards  and  covered  with  a  flat  stone.  In  1832 
James  Quigg  -^  found  on  Feigh  Mountain,  under  a  flat  stone 
about  eight  pounds  weight  of  Roman  silver  coins.  The 
place  where  they  were  found  is  called  the  Croyer  Whins, 
and  is  about  two  furlongs  from  the  sea.  There  are  in 
Ardihannon  the  remains  of  a  remarkable  stone  monument, 
with  some  remains  of  a  cave  at  the  southern  end  of  it.  It 
is  composed  of  large  blocks  of  stone  set  round  on  their  ends, 

*  He  brought  them  into  Coleraine,  where  he  sold  190  ol:  them  for 
£1  to  an  EngUsh  gentleman  ;  a  few  of  them  were  purchased  by 
Alexander  M'Mullan  for  his  mistress,  Mrs.  Alexander,  of  Garvagh  ; 
Dr.  Aquilla  Smith  examined  them,  and  found  among  them  coins  of 
Vespasian,  Domitian,  Nerva,  Trajan,  Hadrian,  Antoninus  Pius,  and 
the  two  Faustinas.  The  inroads,  made  by  the  ancient  Irish  on  Roman 
Britain,  have  made  finds  of  the  plunder  which  they  carried  off  from 
the  Romans,  very  frequent  in  this  vicinity.  The  Ulster  Journal, 
Vol.  II.  gives  coloured  drawings  of  ingots  of  silver,  and  ornaments 
of  the  same  metal,  probably  torn  off  boxes  and  tables,  which,  with  a 
large  number  of  silver  coins,  weighing  in  all  203  ounces,  were  found 
in  1854,  in  the  townland  of  Ballinrees,  parish  of  Macosquin.     The 


'298  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR, 

the  stones  are  from  one  to  two  feet  high.  It  seems  to  have 
been  a  '  Giant's  Grave.'  In  this  townland  there  is  a  cave  in 
the  farm  of  Miss  Henry.  See  Ordnance  Memoir  M.S.,  by 
F.  Stokes,  1837. 

In  the  adjoining  townland  of  Aird  is  the  stupendous 
natural  curiosity,  the  Giant's  Causeway.  "  It  consists,' 
says  Curry  &  Co's  Guide,  "  of  three  piers  or  moles,  pro- 
jecting from  the  base  of  a  stratified  cliff,  about  400  feet  in 
height.  The  principle  mole  is  visible  for  about  300  yards 
in  extent  at  low  water ;  the  others  for  not  more  than  half 
that  distance.  It  is  composed  of  polygonal  pillars,  of  dark 
coloured  basalt,  so  closely  united  that  it  is  difficult  to  insert 
more  than  a  knife-blade  between  them  ;  and  the  formation 
of  a  continuous  surface  at  each  point  of  the  pavement  by 
polygons,  whose  angles  vary  so  much  in  value,  would  have 
sui'prised  even  Proclus  ;  yet  no  artificial  formation  can  ex- 
ceed this  in  accuracy  ....  The  pillars  are  irregular 
prisms  of  an  uncertain  number  of  sides,  varying  from  three 
to  nine ;  there  is  one,  of  three  sides,  near  the  centre  of  the 
Honeycomb,  and  several,  of  nine,  have  been  detected,  but  the 
hexagonal  form  prevails  most  generally.  Each  pillar  is  in 
itself  a  distinct  piece  of  workmanship  ;  it  is  separable  from 

coins  vary  in  date  from  a.d.  337  to  a.d.  411.  In  1827  Alexander 
M'Kinley  found  in  Flower  Hill,  townland  of  Ballyclough,  near 
Bushmills,  300  Roman  coins  of  silver.  The  Proceedings  of  the  R. 
Irish  Academy,  Vol.  V.,  p.  27,  gives  an  account  of  a  strange  find 
made  about  1830,  near  the  Giant's  Causeway,  in  a  heap  of  stones  ;  it 
consisted  of  about  two  dozen  pair  of  shoes  made  of  plate  bronze. 
One  of  them  presented  to  the  Academy  was  made  of  three  pieces  of 
thin  plate  bronze,  fastened  together  so  very  imperfectly  with  lead, 
used  as  a  solder,  that  the  least  wear  of  them  would  break  the  upper 
from  the  sole.  It  measures  ;  length  of  sole  13\  inches,  breadth  of 
sole  4i  inches,  height  of  upper  behind  24  inches,  height  of  instep  3j 
inches,  weight  of  shoe  9|  ounces.  The  use  of  these  shoes  is  difficult 
to  conjecture. 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTEUSH.  299 

all  the  adjacent  columns,  and  then  is  in  itself  separable  into 
distinct  joints,  whose  articulation  is  as  perfect  as  human 
exertion  could  have  formed.  The  extremities  of  each 
are  concave,  or  convex,  and  the  angles  of  the  inferior  joints 
frequently  overlap  those  of  the  superior  so  finely,  that  the 
force  required  to  dislocate  tliem  frequently  fractures  the 
joints.  The  western  division  alone  of  this  wonderful  pro- 
montory is  supposed  to  contain  35,000  distinct  and  perfectly 
polygonal  colnmns,  exquisite  in  their  individual  structure 
and  in  aggregate  amassment.  It  is  not  surprising,  that 
popular  legend  would  have  assigned  the  formation  of  the 
Causeway,  which,  when  viewed  from  any  part  of  the  strand, 
has  the  appearance  of  a  vast  unfinished  pier,  to  giants,  who 
intended  to  construct  a  road  across  the  sea  to  Scotland.  In 
O'Brien's  Irish  Dictionary,  under  the  word  Fomar,  it  appears 
that  the  ancient  Irish  called  this  wonderous  production  of 
nature  Clochan-na-Fomaraigli — "  the  causeway  of  the 
Fomorains."  These  Fomorians  are  represented  as  a  piratical 
race  of  giants  that  settled  on  the  northern  coasts  of  Ireland. 
Nearly  all  the  little  bays  and  inlers  along  that  part  of  the 
coast  have  Irish  names,  though  far  corrupted ;  that  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Causeway  promontory  is  Port  Noffer  (port- 
na-hhfear,  but  without  doubt  it  was  originally  port-na- 
hhfear-mor — "  the  port  of  the  giants) ;"  that  on  the  west  is 
Port  Ganny — "  the  port  of  the  sand,"  and  that  still  more 
south  west  is  Port-na-bo — "  the  port  of  the  cow,"  referring 
in  all  probability  to  the  wonderful  grey  cow — the  Glas 
Gaivnen,  possessed  by  Balor,  the  renowned  chief  of  the 
Fomorians,  with  which,  also,  perhaps,  is  connected  Port-na- 
goona  (Port-na-gamhnaigh,  '  the  strippers  port'),  near 
Dunseverick,  while  Port-na-spaniagh  preserves  the  memory 
of  the  unfortunate  Armada.* 


300  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

At  page  361,  Vol.  I.,  of  the  Dublin  Penny  Journal,  is 
given  a  drawing  of  Dunseverick  Castle,  with  an  excellent 
article  on  its  history  by  Dr.  O'Donovan,  to  which  is  prefixed 
the  following  description  of  the  castle  by  Samuel  M'Skimin: 
"  On  an  insulated  rock,  near  the  centre  of  a  small  bay,  three 
miles  east  of  the  Giant's  Causeway,  stand  the  ruins  of  the 
Castle  of  Dunseverick,  formerly  the  seat  of  a  branch  of  the 
ancient  family  of   O'Cahan  (O'Kane).     Traces   of   the   out- 

*  The  vessel  wrecked  here  was  the  Gerona,  a  gigantic  galley  impelled 
byoars,  its  commauder  was  AlonzodeLeyva,  who,  says  Froude  "was 
so  celebrated  personally,  and  so  many  attractions  combined  in  him  of 
birth  bearing  and  distinguished  services,  that  of  the  fathers  of  the 
high-born  youths,  who  had  volunteered  to  accompany  the  Armada, 
most  of  them  had  committed  their  sons  to  Leyva's  special  care." 
These  volunteers  had  sailed  with  Leyva  in  a  great  ship  the  Rata, 
which  was  wrecked,  but  her  men  were  transferred  to  another  ship, 
which  experienced  a  similar  fate,  and,  after  many  sufiferings  and 
privations,  the  gallant  commauder  transferred  the  most  of  liis  noble 
Castalian  youths  to  the  Gerona.  In  this,  to  the  number  of  more 
than  three  hundred,  they  sailed  away  from  Killybegs  hoping  to  reach 
the  Scottish  coasts  where  they  would  be  beyond  the  power  of 
Fitzwilliam,  the  inhuman  lord-deputy  of  Ireland,  who  remorselessly 
butchered  every  Spanish  soldier  and  sailor  whom  shipwreck  threw 
into  his  hands.  A  violent  storm,  however,  drove  the  unwieldy 
Gerona  on  the  Causeway  headland,  and  two  hundred  and  sixty 
bodies — the  flower  of  the  Spanish  nobility — were  washed  into  tlie 
little  creek  ever  since  known  as  Port-na-Spaniafjh.  "  A  note  of  such 
ships  of  tlie  Spanish  fleet  as  perished  in  September,  1588,  upon  the 
coast  of  Ireland,"  preserved  in  the  Carew  MS.,  says  : — "One  ship 
wrecked  near  Dunluse  where  about  300  men  perished."  The  Carew 
MS.S.  contain  a  letter  of  John  Dallawaye,  to  Sir  George  Carew,  master 
of  the  ordnance,  dated  July  27th,  1589: — "Since  my  cominge  unto 
the  North,  I  have  learned  that  there  are  two  Spaniards  and  a 
Scottish  captain  come  over  to  weigh  the  ordnance  in  the  Iloutt,  and 
it  is  reported  that  there  is  a  great  store  of  gold  and  silver  there,  and 
that  the  Spaniards  and  Scottish  captains  have  brought  the  King  of 
Scots  letters  to  Anguishe  M'Connell  and  to  Sorley  Boy."  Sir  Henry 
Bagenal  wrote  to  Carew  on  the  30th  of  July,  1589  : — "  Most  worthy  . 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  301 

works  of  this  building  are  visible  around  the  rock  on  which 
it  stands,  while  its  shattered  keep  appears  to  '  nod  o'er  its 
own  decay,'  and  is  destined  at  no  distant  period  to  become 
as  prostrate  as  other  fragments  of  the  ruins  scattered  about. 
Immense  masses  of  the  rock  have  been  hewn  away,  evidently 
for  the  purpose  of  i-endering  the  castle  as  inaccessible  as 
possible ;  an  enormous  basaltic  rock,  south  of  the  entrance, 
also  appears  to  have   been   cut  into   a   pyramidal  form,  and 

t;ood  Uncle,  I  long  to  hear  of  the  safe  arrival  of  your  best  comfort. 
If  she  be  come,  let  her  know,  that  there  is  no  artillery  at  Dunluce  to 
draw  you  from  her.  The  King  of  Scots,  as  I  hear  say,  sent  for  the 
same,  and  at  first  they  did  weigh  two  great  peeces.  I  am  sure  they 
have  all  and  are  gone. "  Deputy  Fitzwilliam  on  the  1st  of  August 
directed  Carew  to  take  her  Majesty's  "gallyon,  called  the  Popingay." 
commanded  by  Captain  Thornton,  and  to  recover  the  ordnance,  but 
on  the  24th  of  August,  1589,  he  wrote  from  Ennis  to  Carew  : — "  I 
would  that  the  Lord-Admiral  had  not  written  to  Captain  Thornton 
for  his  repair  to  Chester  so  might  he  have  gone  with  you  about  the 
(U'dnance  by  Dunluce,  which,  I  heard  by  Sorley  Boy,  and  likewise 
from  Captain  Henshawe,  was  assayed  by  some  out  of  Scotland  to  be 
weighed,  but  still  in  the  water.  Take  with  you  50  of  Mr.  Marshall's 
footmen,  and  the  two-half  bands  which  he  already  has  at  Knock - 
fargus,  and  Mr.  Waring's  20  horsemen  in  the  Ardes,  in  your  way 
thitherward,  providing  cables  and  other  things,  either  out  of  your 
office  or  by  the  help  of  the  Loixl-Chancellor  of  Dublin.  At  Knock - 
fargus  you  will  obtain  greate  boates  and  casks.  As  I  am  sorry,  for 
our  own  respect,  you  shall  want  the  use  of  her  Majesty's  ship,  so  am 
I,  on  the  young  fair  lady's  behalf,  glad  that  it  goeth  to  Chester, 
assuring  you,  my  good  knight,  I  had  rather  bear  the  charge  of 
weighing  of  the  ordnance  than  that  she  should  be  so  much  as  afraid 
of  a  pirate,  much  more  that  any  pirate  should  carry  such  a  jewel 
away. "  We  are  not  told  by  the  State  Papers  how  much,  if  any,  of 
the  treasure  or  ordnance  the  government  obtained,  but  Sorley  Boy's 
sons  planted  some  of  the  cannon  on  their  fortress  of  Dunluce.  See 
p.  25,  and  to  this  day,  Mr.  Hill  says,  two  exceedingly  strong  iron 
chests,  which  had  been  obtained  from  the  Gerona,  are  preserved  in 
Glenarm  Castle,  and  a  third  Armada  safe  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Dundonald. 


302  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

flattened  on  the  top,  perliaps  as  a  station  for  a  warder,  or 
for  the  purpose  of  placing  upon  it  some  engine  of  defence." 
No  traces  of  the  primitive  fort,  or  original  dun,  now  remain. 
It  was  doubtlessly  a  cyclopian  cashiol,  the  stones  of  which 
were  used  by  the  Anglo-Norman  in  the  construction  of  his 
castle  that  is  now  nodding  to  its  fall.  The  Four  Masters, 
when  treating  of  the  events  of  the  year  3501  after  the 
Creation,  record  among  the  chief  forts  erected  by  the  Mil- 
esian princes  as  soon  as  they  invaded  Ireland  : — "  Dun- 
Sobhairce  (pronounced  Dun-So warkey)  was  erected  by 
Sobhairce."  The  same  is  expressed  in  a  poem  composed  by 
Cinfaela,  surnamed  the  Learned,  who  died  A.D.  679,  which 
is  preserved  in  the  Book  of  Ballymote  : — 

Dun  Sobhairce  was  afterwards  erected 
By  brave  Sobhairce  of  the  White  side. 
The    fort    was   not   however    erected    at    that    period,    for 
Sobhairce,  from  whom  it  was  named,  flourished  a  century 
and  a  half  later.     The  Four  Masters  record  : — 

The  age  of  the  world,  3668.  The  first  year  of  the  joint  reign  of 
Sobhairce  and  Cearmna  Finn,  the  two  sons  of  Ebric,  son  of  Eraher, 
son  of  Ir,  son  of  Milidh  (Milesius),  over  Ireland  ;  and  they  divided 
it  into  two  parts  ;  Sobhairce  (resided)  in  the  north,  at  Dun-Sobhairce; 
and  Cearmna  in  the  south,  at  Dun-Cearmna  (The  Old  Head  of 
Kinsale.)     These  were  the  first  kings  of  the  race  of  Ir." 

A.M.  3707.  After  these  kings  had  been  forty  years  in  the  joint 
sovereignity  of  Ireland,  Sobhairce  was  slain  by  Eochaidh  Meann,  of 
the  Fomorians  ;  and  Cearmna  fell  by  Eochaidh  Faebharghlas,  son  of 
Conmael. 

There  is  preserved  in  the  Book  of  Lecain,  a  poem  of 
Eochaidh  O'Flinn,  who  died  in  the  year  984,  on  the 
accession  of  these  brothers  to  the  sovereignty  of  Ireland 
about  fifteen  hundred  years  before  the  Incarnation,  accoi ding 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  303 

to  the  chronology  of  the  Four  Masters.     The  poem  consists 
of  seventy-two  lines  and  begins  : — 

"  Dun  Sobliairce  of  the  numerous  hosts." 
The   next    time    which  the  ancient  fortrace    occurs  in  our 
annals  is  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  four  hundred  years. 

"  The  Age  of  the  World  4176.  After  Eloifcheachtaigh  had  been 
seven  years  in  the  sovereignty  of  Ireland  lightning  burned  him  at 
Dun-Sobhairce.  It  was  by  this  Roitheachtaigh  (the  charioteer)  that 
chariots  of  four  horses  were  first  used  in  Ireland."* 

According  to  the  historic  tale  of  the  Tain  Bo  Chuailgne, 
after  Cuchulain    was   disabled,  Queen    Medbh  ravaged    all 

*  All  our  ancient  tales  and  the  Lives  of  the  Saints  abound  with 
frequent  references  to  chariots.  The  following  description  of 
Cuchulainns  war  chariot  occurs  in  the  Tain-bo-Cuailgiie,  of  which 
we  have  copies  as  old  as  the  year  1106,  but  the  tale  was  even  then 
very  ancient  : — "  Then  did  the  valiant  champion  spring  into  his 
armed  battle-chariot,  with  its  thin  swords  ;  with  its  hooks,  and 
hard  spikes  ;  with  its  champion-bending  spears  ;  with  its  open 
machinery  ;  with  its  galling  sharp  nails,  which  were  disposed  on 
the  axles,  and  straps,  and  shafts,  and  rojaes  of  that  chariot.  Thus 
was  that  chariot  with  its  thin,  dry  entrance  to  its  body  ;  high- 
mounted  ;  straight-shouldered  ;  champion-like,  in  which  would  tit 
the  arms  of  seven  chiefs  ;  with  the  fleetness  of  the  swallow,  or  of 
the  wiad,  or  of  a  fox  over  the  course  of  a  plain.  That  chariot  was 
yoked  upon  two  fleet,  bounding,  furious  steeds  ;  with  small  heads, 
small  tufts,  small  legs,  sagacious,  broad-hoofed,  red-breasted,  switch- 
tailed,  streaked,  easy-yoked,  easy-of-motiou  under  the  splendid 
timbers  of  the  carr.  One  of  them  was  swift,  fleet-bounding,  of  great 
action,  of  flowing  mane,  vigilant,  entire  ;  the  other  steed,  curly- 
maned,  slender-legged,  long-legged,  narrow-hipped,  sensitive,  &c., 
&c."  The  sick-bed  of  Cuchulain.  The  writer  of  this  description 
must  have  been  accustomed  to  see  good  horses.  The  body  of  the 
chariot  was  made  of  basket-work  ;  the  pole  of  wood  frequently 
ornamented  with  bronze,  the  yoke  is  described  as  "  strong,  back- 
arched,  and  rich."  The  wheels  frequently  liad  spokes.  Cuchulainn's 
ghost  is  represented  in  an  ancient  tale  in  the  Leabhar  7ia-h-Uidre 
as  appearing,  driven  in  a  chariot  that  had—  "  two  firm  black  wheels, 
two  symmetrical  five-spoked  wheels,  two  pliant  beautiful  reins,  a 
purple  awning  or  roof,  and  green  hangings." 


304  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

Ulster,  burning  down  even  the  extreme  northern  fortress 
Dun  Sobhairce,  and  possessing  herself  of  the  famous  Bull 
of  Cuailgne,  the  original  object  of  all  the  war,  she  then  returned 
in  triumph  towards  her  own  dominion  of  Connaught. 

A  native  poet  named  Flaithir,  in  describing  the  death  of 
Eochaidh,  a  prince  of  the  Irian  race,  who  was  slain  a.d. 
664,  speaks  of  his  fall,  (See  Fragments  of  Irish  Annals.) 

Which  has  brought  sorrow  iipoa  every  person 
Who  is  at  Dun  Sobhairce. 

From  which  it  would  appear  that  it  was  one  of  the  principal 
fortresses  of  the  Jriai^'s  at  that  period.  The  A7inals  of 
Ulster  after  relating  some  incursions  of  the  Danes  in  the 
year  870,  have  the  following  entry  :  — 

The  storming  of  Dun  Sobhairce,  a  thing  which  had  never  been 
effected  before. 

Dr.  O'Connor  in  a  note  on  this  passage  says  that  there 
are  in  Stowe  Library  some  ancient  Irish  poems  relating  to 
this  storming  of  Dunseverick.  No  other  notice  of  the 
fortress  occurs  in  our  annals  until  the  year  924,  when  it 
was  again  plundered  by  the  Danes ;  and  so  important  was 
the  event  considered  that  an  Irish  verse  was  composed  to 
hand  down  the  event. 

A.D.  924,  Dun-Sobhairce  was  plundered  by  the  foreigners  of 
Lough  Cuan  (Strangford  Lough),  and  many  persons  were  slain  by 

them 

Twenty-four  years  exactly 
And  nine  hundred  without  curtaihnent 
From  the  birth  of  the  living  God 
To  the  plundering  of  Dun-Sobhairce. 

The  position  of  Dunseverick  exposed  it  very  much  to  the 
incursions  of  the  Danes  who  were  masters  of  the  seas.  A 
promontory  about  half  a  mile  to  the  north-west  yet  bears 
the   name  of  Benadanir — '  the   peak  of  the    Dane/  which 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  305 

shelters  Port-Benadanir.  According  to  the  Book  of  Rights 
one  of  the  five  perogatives  of  the  King  of  Uladh  (Ulster) 
was  : — 

The  confinement  of  his  hostages-of  old  'twas  heard,- 
At  Dun  Sobhairoe  the  bright. 

Some  of  the  Anglo-Normans  swept  from  the  rock  every 
trace  of  the  primitive  dun  of  Sobhairce,  and  erected  on  it 
the  castle  which  passed  from  the  De-Burgos  to  the 
M'QuilIians,and  from  them  to  the  Clann  Magnus  na  Buaise 
branch  of  the  O'Kanes. 

The  McDonnells  made  themselves  masters  of  the  fortress, 
and  Gerot  Fleming,  the  secretary  of  Shane  O'Neill,  describes 
the  seizure  of  it  for  the  Queen  by  that  chieftain  in  May 
1565.     In  Essex's  Scheme  of  Plantation  Dunseverick  was 
to  have  been  given  to  a  Devonshire  mnn  named  Campernoune. 
It  passed,  however,  with  all  the  adjacent  country,  by  royal 
grant,  to  the  M'Donnells,  and  gave  name  to  the  Tuogh  of 
Dunseverick.       By    the    McDonnells,     Earls    of    Antrim, 
Dunseverick   was   reconferred  on  the  O'Kanes.      The  last 
proprietor  of  that  name  was  Giliaduff  O'Cahan,  who  married 
a  daughter  of  Cahil  O'Hara,  of  Crebilly,  and  who,  in  1652, 
was  examined  in  Coleraine  with  regard  to  the  part  which 
he,  his  sons,  and  sons-in-law  had  taken  in  the  war  of  1641. 
GiUaduffe  paid  a  chiefry  of  ^2  per  annum  to  the  Earl  of 
Antrim  for  Shan  valley  ;  he  was  executed  at  Carrickfergus 
in  1653,  and  all  his  property  forfeited. 

,'1  ^.^  ">q^"sition  taken  at  Ballymoney,  Co,  Antrim,  15th  August 
1657,  It  is  found  that  Gilldufif  O'Cahan,  of  Dunseverick,  inthecountv 
aforesaid  was  seized  as  of  fee  in  the  castle  of  Dunseverick  and  the 
townland  of  Somevally,  in  the  barony  of  Carey,  containing  120  acres, 
and  so  seized,  the  24th  March,  1641-2,  at  Ballintoy,  was  togethe 
with  about  100  traitors  in  rebellion  against  King  Charles,  and  fn  the 

U 


306  DIOCOSE    OF   CONNOR. 

same  did  continue  till  1653,  which  time  he  was  executed  for  rebellion, 
by  reason  whereof  the  premises  unto  his  said  Highness  and  the 
Commonwealth  do  belong. 

St.  Patrick's  missionary  visit  to  Dunseverick  is  the  most 
important  fact  connected  with  its  history.  That  visit  is 
related  as  follows  in  the  Collectanea  of  Tirechan  preserved 
in  the  Book  of  Armagh.  See  Documenta  ex  Lihr.  Armach. 
Edidit  in  Analect.     Bollandian.  R.P.  Edmund.  Hogan,  S.J. 

"  And  he  proceeded  across  the  river  Bann,  and  he  blessed  the 
place  in  which  is  the  little  cell  of  Cuile  Raithin,  in  Eilniu,  in  which 
there  was  a  bishop,  and  he  made  many  other  cells  (kills  or  churches^ 
in  Eilniu,  and  he  made  a  passage  through  the  river  Bush,  and  in 
Duin  Sebhirgi  he  sat  upon  a  rock  which  is  the  Rock  of  Patrick  even 
to  this  day.  And  he  ordained  there  Olcan  the  holy  bishop  whom 
Patrick  educated  ;  and  he  gave  to  him  a  part  of  the  relics  of  Peter 
and  of  Paul,  and  of  others,  and  the  veil  which  guarded  the  relics. 
And  he  returned  into  the  plain  of  Elni." 

See  p.  p.  161,  162,  whei-e  the  original  Latin  is  given,  except 
the  part  relating  to  Dunseverick,  which  is  here  supplied  : — 
("  pertuUtJ,  et  in  Duin  Sehuirgi  sedit  supra  petram,  quce 
Petra  Patrlcii  usque  nunc.  Et  ordinavit  ihi  Olcanuw, 
sanctum  episcopum,  quern  nutrivit  Patricium,  et  dedit  ilU 
partem  de  reliquiis  Petri  et  Pauli  et  aliorum  et  velum  quod 
custodivit  reliquias.     (Et  reversus,  (^c.J 

The  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick  (translated  from  the  Irish, 
by  W.  Hennesy,  Esq.,  M.R.I.A.),  relates — "  And  Patrick 
blessed  Dun  Sobhairce  ;  and  Patrick's  well  is  there,  and  he 
left  a  blessing  upon  it."  Among  the  detatched  papers 
preserved  in  the  Ordnance  Survey  Office  is  a  Query  Sheet — 

Dujisevericl.  Is  there  a  Holy  "Well  near  the  castle  ?  Yes,  west 
of  the  castle.  Only  the  mouth  of  the  well  is  visible  ;  it  is  filled  up 
with  stones.  It  is  said  to  have  been  esteemed  holy  one  hundred 
years  ago  by  the  oldest  Roman  Catholic  inhabitants. 

Is  St.  Patrick's  Stone  there  ?  Not  at  present  ;  a  large  flat  stone 
stood  near  the  mouth  of  the  well,  and  was  so-called.  It  is  supposed 
to  have  been  thrown  into  the  well.     Feb.  18th,  1832. 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  307 

The  well  is  still  in  the  same  state,  its  site  is  only 
observable  by  the  water  which  accumulates  about  it.  In 
the  townland  of  Dunseverick  or  Feigh  there  are  several 
forts,  one  of  them  about  four  furlongs  south  of  the  old 
castle  is  of  a  peculiar  form,  its  builders  taking  advantage 
of  a  knoll  of  rock,  the  summit  of  which  is  from  6  to  18 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  field,  raised  on  it  a 
fort,  the  people  call  it  a  castiol — that  is  a  casiol. 

PARISH     PRIESTS. 

The  little  that  is  known  of  the  priests  who  officiated  in  the 
districts  constituting  the  present  Parish  of  Portrush,  has 
already  been  given  when  treating  of  the  Parishes  of  Bally- 
money  and  Coleraine.  The  influence  of  the  Earls  of  Antrim, 
while  they  remained  Catholics,  afforded  a  great  protection 
to  their  co-religionists  in  those  districts.  In  1621,  the  Earl 
was  summoned  by  the  Lord-Deputy  Grandison,  to  answer 
the  charge  of  having  sheltered  in  his  castles  Romish  Priests. 
This  charge  and  the  letter  of  James  I,  on  the  subject,  has 
already  been  given  at  p.  33.  The  proximity  to  the  strongly 
garrisoned  town  of  Coleraine,  and  the  great  influx  of  colo- 
nists from  the  opposite  coasts  of  Scotland,  gradually  forced 
the  native  Irish  to  seek  safer  habitations  towards  the  centre 
of  the  county,  or  in  districts  where  the  Catholics  were 
numerically  stronger.     Gilladuff  O'Cahan  in  his  examination 

before  the  Cromwellian  court  in  Coleraine,  swears "  that 

upon  Sunday,  the  24th  of  October,  1641,  in  the  morning,  he 
came  from  his  house  in  Dunseverick,  into  the  town  of 
Dunluce,  with  a  little  foot-boy,  having  no  more  company 
with  him,  with  an  intent  to  hear  Mass  there,  but  there 
being  no  Mass  there  that  day,  he,  this  Examinant,  went  into 
James  Stewart's  house  in  Dunluce,  to  drink  a  cup  of  wine." 


308  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

&c.  This  evidence  indirectly  shows  the  fewness  of  priests 
and  chapels  in  that  district,  when  a  gentleman  was  necessi- 
tated to  come  from  Dunseverick  to  Dunluce  to  hear  Mass, 
and  his  disappointment  also  shows  that  the  arrangements  for 
Mass  were  at  that  period  only  casual. 

The  church  however,  for  more  than  sixty  years,  contrived 
somehow  to  keep  its  pastors  in  the  district.  In  1704,  the 
Rev.  Christopher  M'Yagh  (M^Yey),  registered  himself  as 
"  Popish  Priest"  of  Dunluce  ;  he  was  then  50  years  of  age, 
and  was  residing  at  Ballymagarry,  (see  p.  225.)  The  last 
Catholic  Earl  died  in  1721,  and  we  may  presume,  that,  after 
the  death  of  Father  M'Vagh,  the  support  or  appointment  of 
a  priest  in  the  district  became  impossible.  The  few  Catholics 
that  were  scattered  through  the  immense  district  from  Dun- 
severick to  Portstewart  and  thence  to  Finvoy,  were  placed 
under  the  Parish  Priest  of  Rasharkan,  who  from  time  to 
time  kept  a  curate  resident  in  the  district.  One  or  two  friars, 
belonging  to  the  dissolved  Dominican  convent  of  Coleraine, 
at  times  paid  casual  and  itinerant  visits  among  the  Catholics, 
and  the  priests  of  Killowen  extended  their  care  to  the  few 
who  ventured  to  reside  within  a  limited  area  around  Cole- 
raine. In  the  meantime  persecution,  neglect,  and  mixed 
marriages  worked  their  natural  effects  in  the  district ;  hence 
among  its  population  there  are  many  Protestants,  whose 
ancient  Irish  names  testify  that  their'  forefathers,  at  a  not- 
distant  day,  had  abandoned  the  faith  of  their  race.  The 
Protestant  Bishop  reported  to  the  Irish  House  of  Lords  in 
1766,  that  there  were  in  the  Parish  of  Billy  508  Protestant 
families  and  32  Papist  families.  The  Catholic  population 
has  not  retained  its  relative  proportion  in  Billy.  In  1881, 
there  were  in  Billy,  186  Catholics  and  5,091  Protestants; 
in   Bally af(lii-an,  109  Catholics  and   1^608  Protestants  ;  in 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.     •        309 

Ballyrashane,  34  Catholics  and  1,533  Protestants  ;  in  Bally- 
willin,  196  Catholics  and  3,307  Protestants  ;  in  Dunluce  133 
Catholics  and  2,012  Protestants.  In  all  these  civil  parishes 
there  were  in  1881,  Catholics  658,  Protestants  12.551.  Of 
the  Catholics  about  600  were  in  the  Catholic  parish  of 
Portrush.  Father  Peter  M'Mullan,  who  had  charge  of  the 
district  at  the  end  of  the  last  century  and  the  commencement 
of  this,  testified  that  he  did  not  celebrate  Mass  in  Portrush. 
"How  could  he?  There  was  only  one  Catholic  in  it  and 
she  was  marx'ied  to  a  Protestant."  Father  Charles  M'Caffevy, 
who  was  Parish  Priest  of  Killowen  from  1802  till  1808, 
sometimes  visited  the  district,  "  but  when  he  went  into  that 
side  a  distance  he  was  glad  to  get  his  heels  out  of  it."  Neal 
O'Hale  who  was  born  in  1750^  "  lived  four  miles  east  of  the 
Bann  and  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Bushmills,  until  he  was 
married ;  there  were  only  two  Catholic  families  there ;  in 
his  youth  from  12  to  20  persons  went  to  Mass,  celebrated 
once  a  month  at  Ballymagarry,  sometimes  at  Killraoyle ; 
the  priests  who  came  from  Loughguile  used  to  say  Mass  in 
other  places  and  send  word  when  they  would  come. 
A  Robbery  cut  was  sworn  on  the  Romans,  the  Protestants 
paid  none  of  it ;  in  Bally willin  Parish  there  was  only  one 
Catholic  and  he  perverted  to  avoid  paying  it ;  knew  in  Cole- 
raine  only  three  Catholic  families  east  of  the  Bann;  never  knew 
any  Catholics  in  Portrush  but  one,  who  remained  but  two 
years,  nor  of  any  in  Portstewart ;  knew  Neal  Harkin  right 
well,  he  was  clerk  for  the  priests  many  a  day,  at  Bushmills, 
Ballymagarry,  Dunluce,  &c.,  he  was  born  at  Dunluce,  taught 
a  school  there,  and  travelled  with  goods."  Among  the  curates 
of  Rasharkin  who  officiated  in  the  district,  were  the  Rev. 
Bernard  Mulhollan,  who  it  is  supposed,  was  a  Franciscan, 
the  Rev.  Hugh  Mulhollan,    who  became  Parfsb   Priest  of 


310  •  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

Glsnarm  about  1770.  Father  James  Fegan,  a  priest  froui 
the  diocese  of  Dromore  officiated  there  at  two  periods  ;  he 
was  officiating  in  the  district  in  1784,  when  he  erected  a 
small  chapel  at  Bushmills.  Father  Walter  Lynn  and  Father 
John  Fanning,  afterwards  Parish  Priest  of  Loughguile, 
officiated  as  curates  under  Father  Brenan,  P.P.,  Rasharkin. 
At  times  also  the  district  was  attended  by  the  priests  of 
Loughguile.  In  1795,  at  the  death  of  Father  Brenan,  his 
curate  Father  Peter  M'Mullan,  was  officiating  in  the  district 
and  when  he  became  Parish  Priest  of  Rasharkin,  he  retained 
the  district  until  1825.  He  was  assisted  in  it  by  several 
curates,  one  of  them  was  a  friar,  Father  M'Manus.  From 
about  the  close  of  the  last  century  the  curates  genei-ally 
resided  in  the  rural  parts  of  the  Parish  of  Ballymoney  ; 
among  these  were  Father  Patrick  O'Neill,  appointed  in  1810, 
and  Father  Arthur  O'Neill  appointed  in  1815.  During  the 
first  year  that  Father  Arthur  wap  in  the  district,  the  amount 
contributed  for  the  support  of  their  clergy  by  the  people  of 
Ballymoney,  Bushmills  and  other  districts  under  his  charge, 
was  £68  Os  5d,  while  his  personal  expenses  amounted  to  £71 
3s  Od.  In  1825  those  districts  were  formed  into  the  Parish  of 
Ballymoney,  from  which  the  district  of  Bushmills  was  de- 
tached in  1834,  and  ^formed  into  the  Parish  of  Portrush  ; 
which  after  the  Papal  decree  of  1835,  was  commonly  called 
the  Parish  of  Coleraine.  That  parish  was  again,  in  1848,  sub- 
divided and  arranged  as  it  is  at  present,  into  the  Parishes 
of  Coleraine  and  Portrush.  On  the  appointment  of  Father 
Kearney  to  Culfeightrin,  in  April,  1848,  the  districts 
attached  to  the  churches  of  Bushmills  and  Portrush,  were 
severed  from  Coleraine  and  constituted  into  a  parish,  to 
which  the  Rev.  John  Cunningham  was  appointed. 

Father  Cunningham  was  born  in  the  townland  of  Money- 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  311 

scalp,  in  the  Parish  of  Kilcoo.  After  studying  in  our  Dio- 
cesan College  he  obtained  a  free  burse  in  the  Irish  College  of 
Paris,  because  he  was  a  relati%'e  of  Abb6  Maginn,  who,  in 
1677,  founded  the  College  des  Lombards,  which  is  represented 
by  the  present  Irish  College.  He  was  ordained  in  Belfast, 
by  the  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Denvir,  on  the  5th  of  May,  1842,  and 
was  appointed  shortly  afterwards  to  the  curacy  of  Duneane, 
from  which  he  was  appointed  the  first  Parish  Priest  of  the 
newly  constituted  Parish  of  Portrush  ;  he  completed  the 
church  of  Portrush  which  had  been  erected  by  Father 
Kearney.  Father  Cunningham  was  appointed  Parish  Priest 
of  Carrickfergus,  in  March,  1852,  and  was  succeeded  in 
Portrush  by  Father  M'Cann,  who  commenced  his  mission 
in  Portrush,  March  29th,  1852,  (for  a  more  extended  notice 
of  him  see  p.  91). 

From  1848  until  1859  each  parish  priest  in  the  Diocese 
of  Connor,  subscribed  yearly  towards  the  support  of  the 
parish  priest  of  Portrush  £1,  and  each  curate  10/-,  but  in  the 
year  1859,  the  necessity  of  the  subscription  having  been 
questioned  by  some  of  the  clergy.  Father  M'Cann  refused  to 
receive  it  and  ever  since  the  parish  has  been  self-supported. 
Father  M'Cann  was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Pasharkan 
on  the  7th  of  June,  1864,  and  was  succeeded  by  Father  John 
M'Grehan. 

The  Rev.  John  M'Grehan,  after  studying  in  the  Diocesan 
College,  entered  the  Rhetoric  Class,  in  the  College  of  May- 
nooth,  on  the  25th  of  August,  1836,  being  then  in  the  18th 
year  of  his  age  ;  was  ordained  in  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Denvir,  on 
the  5th  of  May,  1842  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Cushendall 
in  June,  1842  ;  Curate  of  Aughagallon,  in  February,  1849; 
from  which  after  a  few  mouths  he  was  appointed  Dean  of 
the  Diocesan  College  and  Chaplin  of  the  Belfast  Workhouse  ; 


312  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

was  appointed  on  the  llth  of  March,  1854,  Curate  of  Bally- 
kinlar ,  he  afterwards  officiated  a  year  and  three  months  as 
Curate  of  Rasharkan,  from  which  he  was  appointed  Parish 
Priest  of  Portrush  on  the  18th  of  June,  1864.  He  was 
appointed  to  the  Parish  of  Drummaul  on  the  5  th  of  July, 
1873,  where  he  died  on  the  10th  of  August,  188  i,  and  was 
interred  in  the  Catholic  cemetery  of  Randalstown. 

Father  Peter  M'Kenna*  succeeded  Father  M'Grehan  in 
Portrush.  He  was  born  in  the  townland  of  Ballylough, 
Parish  of  Kilmegan,  in  October,  1840;  entered  the  Diocesan 
College  in  1855;  entered  the  Class  of  Humanity,  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  on  the  16th  of  September,  1857  ;  was 
ordained  in  St.  Malachy's  Church,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Doriian, 
on  the  18th  of  October,  1863  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of 
Down  in  February,  1864  ;  was  appointed  Dean  of  Diocesan 
College  in  November,  1866  ;  was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of 
Portrush  on  the  5th  of  July,  1873. 

CHURCHES. 

We  have  seen  that  Mass  was  celebrated  in  Dunluce  in 
1642  and  how  long  it  continued  to  be  celebrated  there  we  do 
not  know  ;  according  to  Richard  M'Henry's  evidence,  (seep. 
240),  it  ceased  to  be  celebrated  there  about  the  middle  of  the 
last  century,  because  the  assemblage  of  the  Catholics  there  was 
prohibited  by  one  Moore,  while  other  traditions  represent 
the  Moore  family  as  kind  to  the  Catholics,  both  stories  may 
he  true  but  refer  to  different  individuals  of  the  family.  It 
is  probable,  however,  that  after  the  town  of  Dunluce  was 
burned  in  1642,  and  after  the  Marquis  of  Antrim  fixed  his 
residence  at  Ballymagarry,  the  Mass  station  was  changed  to 

*  Father  Peter  M'Kenna  is  a  younger  brother  of  Father  Francis 
M'Kenna,  P.P.,  Lame. 


THE  PARISH  OF  PORTRUSH.  313 

that  place,  though  at  times  it  continued  to  be  called  Dunluce. 
There  was  also  occasional  Mass  stations  at  Kennedy's  of 
Carnglass,  and  at  Tubberdornan  or  Dunmull,  as  well  as  at 
Bushmills.  Father  Peter  M'Kenna  in  a  letter  written  in 
October,  1883,  says — "Archie  M'llhargy  now  77  years  of 
age,  says  that  he  first  went  to  Mass  when  a  little  boy,  to 
Donald  M'Colgan's.  This  Donald  M'Colgan  was  a  labourer, 
who  with  his  sister  lived  in  a  little  house  in  the  townland 
of  Ballymacray,  adjoining  Ballymagarry.  After  the  death 
of  Donald,  Mass  was  celebrated  at  James  Lee's,  in  Bally- 
magarry. This  man  was  a  gardener,  and  when  his  family 
emigrated  to  America,  Mass  was  celebrated  at  Pat  M'llhargy's 
(Archie's  father's)  in  Ballykeel,  and  afterwards  in  a  loft  on 
the  quay  at  Portrush.  Archie  says,  that  a  priest  named,  he 
thinks,  Lynn,  lived  in  his  "grandfather's  time^  in  a  little  house 
consisting  of  a  room  and  kitchen,  situated  in  the  field  to  the 
north  of  his  grandfather's  house  in  Ballykeel."  As  already 
stated,  Father  Fegan  erected,  about  1784,  a  small  chapel  in 
the  townland  of  Ballaghmore,  or  Bushmills,  on  a  plot  of 
ground  which,  though  somewhat  encroached  on,  still  measures 
one  rood.  The  little  chapel  was  slated  and  stood  in  the 
south-east  corner  of  the  present  graveyard,  until  it  was  re- 
placed by  the  present  neat  little  church.  The  walls  of  the 
))resent  church  were  erected  by  Father  Green,  who  laid  the 
foundation  of  i'j  on  the  30th  of  September,  1839,  but  Father 
Kearney  roofed  it  and  had  it  dedicated  under  the  invocation 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  by  Dr.  Denvir,  on  the  5th  of 
July,  1846,  The  sermon  on  the  occasion  was  preached  by 
Father  George  Crolly.  On  the  following  day  Dr.  Denvir 
confirmed  in  Coleraine  244  persons  belonging  to  the  united 
parish.  Bushmills  church  was  floored,  seated  and  orna- 
mented by  Father  Hugh  M'Cann.     The  first  interment  in 


314 


DIOCESE    OF    CONNOa. 


the  graveyard  was  that  of  the  body  of  a  davighter  of  James 
Kearns,  which  occured  during  the  incumbency  of  Father 
Green,  who  in  the  register  calls  it  St.  Ciithbert's  Burying 
Ground. 

The  church  of  Portrush  was  erected  in  1845,  by  Father 
Kearney,  but  it  was  not  completed  until  the  incumbency  of 
his  successor,  Father  Cunningham.  A  tablet  over  the  door 
is  inscribed,  Erected  by  Subscriptions,  A.D.,  MDCCOXLV. 
The  church  was  dedicated  under  the  invocation  of  St. 
Patrick,  by  Dr.  Denvir,  on  the  17th  of  August,  1851.  The 
dedication  sermon  was  preached  by  Father  Marshall,  and 
the  amount  subscribed  on  the  occasion  was  <£55  7s  9d.  Father 
M'Cann,  in  addition  to  ornamenting  the  church,  opened  the 
first  National  School  in  Portrush,  in  1854 ;  erected  the 
beautiful  Schoolhouse  in  1855,  and  the  Parochial  House  in 
1859.  The  Teachers  Residence  was  erected  by  Father 
M'Kenna  by  a  loan  from  the  Board  of  Works. 

While  this  sheet  was  passing  through  the  press  the  number  of 
"  Papist"  and  Protestant  families  in  the  following  parishes  in  1766, 
was  obtained  from  the  Reports  sent,  in  that  year,  to  the  clerk  of  the 
House  of  Lords  by  the  Ministers  of  the  respective  parishes.  They 
are  here  contrasted  with  the  Census  Returns  of  1881. 


PARISH. 

Papist  Families 
17U6. 

Prot.  Families 
1766. 

Catholics 
1S81. 

Protestants, 

1S81. 

Kildollagh 

8 

147 

3 

498 

Coleraine 

31 

481 

1015 

5290 

Ballyaghran 

5 

166 

109 

1499 

Ballyrashane 

5 

261 

34 

1533 

Dunkice 

32 

235 

133 

2012 

Billy 

36 

318 

186 

5091 

The  Minister  of  Billy  writes:  "The  Parish  Priest's  name  is 
John  Mulhollau  ;  he  has  charge  of  six  parishes.  I  know  no  friar 
here."     State  Papers,  Record  Office,  Dublin. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY. 


n'^HE  Parish  of  Ballintoy  consists  of  the  entire  civil  parish 
i  of  Ballintoy,  (except  part  of  the  townland  of  Coolmaghra, 
which  is  united  with  the  parish  of  Ramoan),  and  the  entire 
civil  parish  of  the  Grange  of  Drumtiillagh,  together  with  a 
small  part  of  Derrykeighan  from  Gracehill  to  Drumcrottagh. 
In  the  farm  of  John  M'Neill,  Esq.,  in  Craig,  there  is  a 
funereal  monument  consisting  of  a  triangular  enclosure, 
bounded  by  large  stones  set  in  the  ground ;  a  few  of  them, 
varying  from  1  to  4  feet  above  the  surface,  still  remain  in 
their  original  position,  and  the  interior  is  raised  with  stones 
and  earth.  The  base  of  the  triangle  measures  7  yards  ;  the 
perpendicular  16  yards;  the  apex  points  to  the  west.  The 
stones  which  enclosed  the  south  side  have  been  removed  ; 
that  which  marks  the  apex  stands  4  feet  high,  2  feet  3  inches 
broad,  and  2  feet  3  inches  thick  ;  the  other  stones  are  not  so 
large.  Ferguson  in  his  Rude  Stone  Monuments,  p.  281,  pi. 
100,  has  given  delineations  of  Scandinavian  graves  of  exactly 
similar  character,  and  such  graves  were  supposed  by  some 
authorities  to  have  been  confined  to  Scandinavia.  Lieut. 
Col.  W.  Gr.  Wood-Martin,  however,  in  an  extremely  interest- 
ing Paper  on  Ancient  Monuments  of  the  Battle  Ground  of 
Northern  Moytirra,  (Co.  Sligo),  gives>  drawing  of  one  raised 
to  commemorate  some  of  the  warriors  who  fell  in  that  battle, 
which  was  fought  between  the  Tuatha  de  Danaan  and  the 
Foniorians,  in  the  year  (according  to  the  Four  Masters)  3310 


316  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR, 

of  the  world.  It  is  difficult  to  know  who  these  Fomorians 
were ;  they  swept,  however,  the  seas  from  Scandinavia  to 
Erin,  and  located  themselves  principally  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Giant's  Causeway,  (see  p.  299.)  It  may  be  perhaps  to 
them  is  due  the  similarity,  that  the  monuments  of  Northern 
Moytirra,  Pillar's  Stones,  Giant's  Graves,  &c.,  &c.-  bear  to 
those  scattered  so  numerously  throughout  the  parishes  along 
the  coast  of  the  North  of  Antrim,  In  the  the  farm  of  Henry 
Bathurst,  and  nearly  opposite  to  his  house,  in  the  townland 
of  Craig,  there  is  an  artificial  cave  of  the  usual  construction  ; 
it  is  now  closed,  but  it  is  said  to  extend  50  yards.  On  his 
farm  are  different  kinds  of  ancient  enclosures,  composed 
chiefly  of  rows  of  large  stones,  among  which  "  Dane's  Pipes" 
have  been  frequently  found.  Local  tradition  relates  that  an 
encampment  was  formed  on  the  rocky  hill  called  Craighill, 
by  the  last  of  the  O'Kane's  who  resided  at  Dunseverick, 
(from  Ord.  Surv.  JIS.)  This  tradition  refers  to  the  encamp- 
mentinlG42,  at  a  place  then  called  Craigballynoe  (see  p,  282), 
In  Templastragh  are  the  ruins  of  a  church,  and  at  the  dist- 
ance of  about  80  yards  north-west  of  the  graveyard  attached  to 
it,  is  another  graveyard  containing  the  site  of  a  church.  The 
first  graveyard  is  locally  named  the  Irish  kirkyard,  because 
it  formerly  was  used  only  by  the  Catholics,  while  the  other 
is  named  the  Scotch  kirkyard,  because  it  had  been  used  for 
interments  by  the  Presbyterians,  after  they  colonized 
the  district.  The  '  Scotch  kirkyard  '  is  the  larger,  and  in  the 
centre  of  it  are  the  faint  traces  of  a  quadrangular  building. 
It  was  probably  the  site  of  the  original  or  more  ancient 
churchy  but  according  to  local  tradition  the  site  was 
abandoned  before  the  church  was  completed,  for  what  wae 
erected  each  day  was  by  some  invisible  agency  demolished 
during  the  night ;  while  "  a  flaming  light,"  seen  where  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  317 

adjacent  cliurch  stands,  warned  the  founder  where  he  should 
select  the  pi-oper  site.  Hence  the  church  was  named 
Teniplasfcragh — '  the  flaming  church  ;'  but  Dr.  Reeves  more 
reasonably  supposes,  that  it  is  Teampull  Laistrach — "  Church 
of  Lassara,"  so  named  from  its  patron  saint,  whose  name,  so 
common  among  the  saints  of  Ireland,  signifies  'a  flame.' 
The  church  measuring  47  ft.  by  18  ft.  9  in.,  in  the  clear,  is 
built  of  articulated  stones  similar  to  those  of  the  Causeway, 
which  were  obtained  from  a  quarry  about  a  mile  to  the  south 
of  the  church.  The  sidewalls  stand  from  10  to  12  feet  high, 
and  the  eastern  gable  is  of  the  same  height ;  but  the  western 
gable,  in  which  was  the  entrance,  is  nearly  demolished.  In 
the  eastern  gable  are  the  remains  of  an  oblong  window, 
4  ft.  high  and  1  ft.  wide  on  the  outside,  but  nearly"  3  ft.  in 
in  the  inside.  In  the  south  sidewall,  at  about  10  feet  from 
the  eastern  gable,  are  the  remains  of  a  second  window,  now 
much  dilapitated.  The  altar,  which  was  erected  of  freestone, 
stood  at  the  eastern  gable  until  it  was  destroyed  about  1780  ; 
and  various  misfortunes  are  related  to  have  occured  to  an 
unfortunate  cooper,  who  appropriated  a  part  of  it  as  a  sharp. 
ing-stone  for  his  tools.  There  formerly  lay  on  the  ditch  of 
the  little  graveyard  a  slab  of  stone,  3  ft.  8  in.  long,  1  ft.  1 
in.  broad,  and  8  in.  thick,  on  which  is  inscribed  a  cross, 
formed  by  three  horizontal  lines  crossing  three  upright  lines, 
and  having  at  each  of  the  four  angles  of  intersection,  an  out- 
lined quarter  of  a  circle.  The  figure  consequently  pi-esents 
the  appearance  of  a  cross  having  a  circle  surrounding  the 
intersection  of  its  arms.  The  slab  is  now  imbedded  in  the 
wall  of  the  church,  near  the  north-west  corner.  At  a  short 
distance  south  of  the  church  there  was  formerly  an  ancient 
building,  locally  named  '  the  Priest's  House,'  and  from  it 
was  a  paved  causeway  to  a  well,  named  '  the  Priest's  Well.' 


318  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

The  causeway  and  house  are  now  destroyed,  but  the  well  " 
still  remains ;  and  the  place  on  which  they  were,  is  called 
'  the  Priest's  Bray,'  Orel,  Surv.  MS.  Dr.  Reeves  supposes 
that  this  is  the  place  referred  to  in  the  following  passage  of 
the  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick  "  In  consequence  of  his 
blessing,  he  merited  that  these  three  places,  consecrated  to 
God,  Rathairthir,  Sean-Domnach  in  Magach,  (Magh-Ai),  and 
Sen  Domvacli  near  Dun  Sohhairche,  should  never  be  destroyed 
by  an  enemy." 

In  remarkable  confirmation  of  this  surmise,  some  rocks 
along  the  shore,  on  the  Dunseverick  side  of  Templastragh, 
are  called  "  the  Donaghmore  Rocks."  At  Portbraddan  are 
the  remains  of  an  oval  stone  enclosure,  an  ecclesiastical 
Cashiol,  in  the  interior  of  which  human  bones  are  found  ;  it 
is  called  Keelaval — '•  The  Church  of  the  wall." 

In  the  farm  of  Archy  Black,  in  Ballynastraid,  there  is  a  very 
large  stone,  9  feet  high,  which  is  regarded  by  the  people  as 
a  '  Druid's  Altar' ;  near  this  stone  artificial  caves  of  the  usual 
construction  were  discovered.  In  John  M'Mullan's  farm 
are  the  remains  of  a  Giant's  Grave.  The  monument  was  23 
feet  long  and  20  feet  feet  broad,  enclosed  by  large  stones  set 
on  end  and  earth ;  the  interior  space  was  10  feet  long  and 
4  feet  broad,  covered  by  large  stones,  one  of  which  yet 
remains  sitting  on  its  supporting  stones,  it  is  7  feet  long,  i\ 
feet  broad  and  1^  feet  thick ;  the  other  covering  stones 
which  were  larger  than  this  have  been  destroyed.  In  same 
townland  there  are  the  ruins  of  an  other  monument ;  it  is 
situated  on  a  rocky  hill  called  Knockavideen,  south  of,  and 
contiguous  to  the  Bushmills  and  Ballintoy  road.  It  consists 
of  an  enclosure  24  ft.  long  and  22  ft.  broad,  formed  by  large 
stones,  some  of  which  stand  2  ft.  above  the  surface.  On  the 
east  side  of  the  hill  and   contiguous  to   the  enclosure,  is  a 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  319 

large  flat  stone,  5  ft.  long,  3  ft.  broad  and  3  ft.  thick,  resting 
on  smaller  stones.  In  the  farm  of  John  Campbell  there  were 
found,  about  1820,  three  ornamented  funereal  urns,  containing 
bones  and  ashes  ;  they  were  covered  by  flat  stones.  In  the 
same  townland  of  Ballynastraid  are  the  ruins  of  two  forts 
close  together ;  the  western  fort  was  24  yards  in  diameter  ; 
the  ruins  of  its  parapet  is  12  feet  broad  and  from  2  to  4  ft. 
high.  The  east  fort  measures  23  yards  across  the  centre  ; 
the  remains  of  its  parapet  are  from  5  to  10  ft.  broad,  and 
from  2  to  4  ft.  high.  These  forts  seem  to  have  been 
strengthened  on  the  east  and  north  sides  by  walls  composed 
of  earth  and  stones.  The  forts  are  marked  on  the  Ordnance 
Map  Castlelea — '  the  Gray  Cashiol.'     See  Orel.  Survey  MS. 

On  the  stream  dividing  Lemnaghmore  from  Leranaghbeg,* 
is  the  Horse-Leap,  {Leim-an-cich — '  the  leap  of  the  horse,') 

*Lemiiaghmore  is  a  portion  of  the  Balliiitoy  estate,  which  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Stewarts  of  Ballintoy.  This  family  seems  to 
have  been  descended  from  the  Stewarts  of  Bute,  and  to  have 
arrived  in  Ireland,  about  1560.  It  is  said  that  they  first 
settled  at  Dunseverick,  from  which  they  removed  to  Ballinstraid. 
In  1625,  Archibald  Stewart,  grandson  of  the  first  immigrant, 
received  a  grant  from  Randal,  Earl  of  Antrim,  of  the  two 
districts  known  as  Ballylough  and  Ballintoy,  each  containing 
four  quarters  of  land,  at  the  yearly  rent  of  £9.  This  grant  included 
Sheep  Island,  "and  the  other  little  islands  of  the  Camplie."  It 
reserved  the  salmon  fishing  of  Portnalarahane,  (now  Larrybane), 
and  the  deer  park,  occupying  the  whole  of  the  ridge  of  high  land 
south  of  the  village  of  Ballintoy,  and  then  known  as  Altmore  ;  it 
also  reserved  all  hawks,  bound  Stewart  to  sublet  his  lands  only  to 
Scotch  tenants  and  to  supply  a  number  of  men  at  every  hosting.  On 
the  death  of  John  M'Naghten,  in  1630,  Archibald  Stewart  was 
appointed  to  succeed  him  as  agent  of  the  Earl's  estate.  Stewart  took 
an  active  part  in  the  military  affairs  connected  with  the  1641  war. 
(See  p.  38).  He  was  succeded  in  the  agency  by  his  son  and  heir, 
named  Archibald,  whose  daughter  and  sole  heiress  married  her 
relative,  James  Stewart  of  Straid  or  Ballinstraid.  She  died,  as 
appears   by  her  monument  in  Ballintoy  church,  in  1663,  and  was 


320  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

named  from  some  ancient  legend  now  forgotten  ;  it  gives 
name  to  the  two  townlands.  In  Lemnaghmore  near  the 
Horse  Leap,  is  Dunboy — '  the  yellow-fort ;'  it  is  oval  35  by 
32  yai'ds,  the  top  of  the  fort  stands  from  8  to  18  feet  above 
the  bottom  of  the  moat  which  is  6  feet  wide ;  the  entrance  is 
succeeded  by  her  only  surviving  son  Archibald,  who  married  a 
daughter  of  Sir  Toby  Poynts  of  Poyntspass.  Archibald  had  two 
sons.  Archibald  the  elder  became  minister  as  well  as  landlord  of 
Ballintoy,  but  dying  without  an  heir  the  estates  passed  to  his  younger 
brother,  Alexander,  who  had  been  appointed  agent  to  the  Antrim 
estates  by  Lord  and  Lady  Massereene,  the  guardians  of  the  fifth 
Earl  of  Antrim  during  his  minority,  and  was  afterwards  continued 
in  that  office  by  Lord  Antrim.  This  spendthrift  earl  accused  his 
agent  of  conniving  at  cheap  sales  of  the  propertij  to  serve  his  own 
selfish  purposes.  The  quarrel  resulted  in  an  action  at  law,  which 
agitated  the  country  during  the  years  1740  and  1741.  The  allegations 
of  Lord  Antrim  serve,  at  least,  as  an  illustration  of  the  process  by 
which  the  Antrim  estate  was  broken  up. 

1.— Captain  Rogers  held  the  lands  of  Bally winlans,  Ballywattick, 
and  Culdagh,  in  the  parish  of  Ballymoney,  at  the  yearly  rent  and 
fees  of  £92  5s.  On  the  expiration  of  the  lease,  Mr.  Stewart  the 
a<^ent,  it  was  alleged,  represented  to  Lord  Antrim,  that  Hugh  Boyd, 
of  Ballycastle,  who  held  other  lands  adjoining  on  lease  also,  had 
purchased  the  interest  of  Rogers,  and  was  willing  to  give  a  fine  of 
£500.  provided  he  could  get  a  fee-simple  grant  of  the  whole  lot.  On 
the  agent's  representation  that  this  sum  was  sufficiently  large.  Lord 
Antrim,  in  1736,  perfected  a  deed  whereby  the  whole  lands  held  by 
Rogers  and  by  Boyd  were  conveyed  to  Boyd  forever.  So  soon,  how- 
ever, as  this  arrangement  was  made,  Boyd,  as  alleged,  according  to 
previous  agreement,  handed  over  the  one  half  to  Mr.  Stewart,  the 
latter  paying  the  half  of  the  fine  and  the  half  of  the  rent. 

II. — The  lands  of  Cosies,  Cabragh,  Cavanmore,  Kilmahamoge, 
Clogher,  Lagavar,  Maghernaher,  Maghercastle,  Clegnagh,  and 
Knocknagai-von,  together  with  the  towns  of  Brougligammon,  Big 
Park  of  Ballintoy,  (Altmore,  reserved  in  the  original  grant  of  1624), 
Lemnaghbeg,  Lemnaghmore  Creganewey,  in  the  baronies  of  Dunluce 
and  Carey,  were  held  by  Alexander  Stewart  and  his  brother  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Stewart,  except  the  last  five  held  by  Mr.  Alexander  Andrews, 
at  the  yearly  rent  of  £91.  On  the  expiration  of  the  lease,  the  agent 
offered   Lord  Antrim  £500  of  a  fine,  on  behalf  of  his  sister,  Jane 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  321 

on  the  north-east  side,  ascending  to  which  are  the  niins  of  a 
causeway  that  had  been  paved  with  large  flat  stones  ;  within 
the  fort  there  is  an  extensive  cave,  but  the  fort  and  cave 
have  suffered  great  dilapidations.  In  John  Black's  farm,  at 
about  60  yards  south  of  the  Bushmills  and  Ballintoy  road, 

Stewart,  for  a  fee-simple  deed  of  all  these  lands  at  the  former  rent. 
On  his  recommendation  the  deed  was  perfected  in  February,  1736. 
Lord  Antrim  alleged  that  Alexander  and  Jane  Stewart  had  arranged 
previously  that  she  was  to  bequeath  this  property  at  her  death  to 
him  or  his  heirs,  that  at  that  time  the  lands  which  she  had  obtained 
for  £91  per  annum,  were  worth  £500  per  annum. 

III. — When  the  lease  of  Glenariffe,  Ballynaries,  Ballyloughbeg, 
Castlecat,  Magherintemple  and  Garryvindune  expired,  the  agent 
proposed  to  take  the  lands  at  £98  yearly  rent,  and  informed  Lord 
Antrim  that  no  more  could  be  obtained  for  them.  The  latter  on  this 
representation  gave  the  agent  a  deed  of  them  for  ever  at  the  above 
rent  although  they  were  worth  £230  yearly,  exclusive  of  a  wood, 
the  timber  of  which  was  worth  £600. 

IV. — Lord  Antrim  further  alleged,  that  the  lands  of  Bonemargy, 
Brughanlea,  the  five  Irish  acres  Ffaranmacartor  Mountain,  the  five 
Irish  acres  of  Achraveelie,  the  Freestone  Quarry,  the  forty  Irish 
acres  of  Drumnagola,  Dunnamalaght  and  the  two  quarters  of  Carn- 
side  and  Ballylinney,  were  handed  over  to  Hugh  Boyd  in  perpetuity 
for  the  yearly  rent  of  £147,  whereas  the  fair  and  proper  rent  of  this 
property  was  at  least  £800  per  annum.  To  these  charges  Mr. 
Stewart  replied  that  Lord  Antrim  knew  well  the  value  of  his 
property,  that  several  surveys  and  valuations  of  it  had  been  made 
for  Lord  Antrim ;  that  one  had  been  made  by  orders  of  Robert 
Hawkins  Magill,  Esq.,  Lord  Antrim's  step-father,  that  he  (Mr. 
Stewart)  had  increased  the  rent-roll  of  the  estate  during  Lord  Antrim's 
minority  by  £800  per  annum,  in  consequence  of  the  discovery  of 
forged  leases  in  Glenariffe.  As  to  the  lands  of  Glenariffe,  &c.,  (see 
par.  iii),  in  the  baronies  of  Dunluce,  Carey  and  Glenarm,  he  held 
them  as  tenant-at-will  since  1737,  and  being  encouraged  by  Samuel 
AVaring,  Lord  Antrim's  attorney,  he  proposed  £400,  besides  the  rent, 
which  was  accepted  ;  that  Lord  Antrim  had  ordered  his  servants  to 
seize  and  carry  off  an  iron  chest,  from  Ballylough  House,  which 
contained  almost  all  the  papers  relating  to  the  management  of  the 
estate,  that  this  chest  was  carried  to  Lord  Antrim's  House  at  Bally- 
magarry  ;   that  Lord  Antrim   had  induced  William  Harrison,  his 

v 


322  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

formerly  stood  some  monument  locally  called  a  "  Druid's 
Altar  ;"  it  is  now  destroyed.  On  the  summit  of  a  lofty  hill, 
about  5  of  a  mile  south  of  the  same  road,  there  is  some  ancient 
enclosure,  14  yards  in  diameter,  enclosed  by  a  parapet  of 
earth  and  stones,  but  these  have  now  been  removed  except 

(Stewart's)  clerk  for  thirteen  years,  to  leave  his  service  ;  and,  that 
he  had  induced  John  Cuppage,  who  received  rents  for  him  (Stewart) 
as  his  assistant,  to  give  up  the  keys  of  the  iron  chest,  so  that  he 
(Stewart)  was  deprived  of  access  to  papers  of  importance  for  his 
defence. 

Mr.  Boyd  stated,  that  he  and  Mr.  Stewart  were  not  disposed  to 
accommodate  each  other,  but  were  urged  to  become  joint  purchasers 
of  the  lands  near  Ballymoney  by  Lord  Antrim  himself  ;  that  he  was 
induced  to  take  the  lands  near  Fairhead,  not  for  the  profits  arising 
from  them  on  the  terms  granted  by  Lord  Antrim,  but  because  the 
works  at  the  CoUiery  and  at  the  Harbour  of  Ballycastle  could  not 
be  conveniently  carried  on  without  them  ;  that  they  were  not  worth 
£800  per  annum  ;  that  they  were  let  for  £240  subject  to  the  chief 
rent  of  £147  ;  that  they  were  held  by  52  tenants,  all  poor,  with 
cottiers  holding  under  them. 

Jane  Stewart  denied  that  she  had  any  underhand  agreement  with 
her  brother,  the  agent  ;  that  her  brother  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stewart,  had 
made  arrangements  with  Lord  Antrim  to  have  a  fee-farm  grant  of 
these  lands  for  which  he  gave  certain  valuable  considerations  more  than 
expressed  in  the  deeds  ;  that  Dr.  Stewart  held  some  of  these  lands 
by  a  lease,  which  would  not  have  expired  until  1751,  such  as  Cosies, 
Cavanmore,  Cabragh  in  the  barony  of  Dunluce  ;  Cloughcor,  Kilma- 
hamoge,  Lagavar,  Maghernagher  and  25  acres  in  Magherabuoy,  in 
the  barony  of  Carey  ;  that  the  leases  of  Clegneagh  and  Knockna- 
garron,  held  by  Alexander  Andrews,  would  not  expire  until  1751; 
that  the  leases  of  Magheracastle,  Broughgammen  and  Altmore  or 
Big  Park,  held  by  the  same  person  would  not  expire  until  1747  : 
that  the  lease  of  Craiganewey,  held  by  Mr.  Shaw,  would  not  expire 
until  1747  ;  that  all  these  leases  were  included  in  the  fee-farm  grant 
to  Dr.  Stewart ;  that  Dr.  Stewart  being  bound  by  his  father's  will 
to  pay  to  her  £1 ,000  or  £50  per  annum,  intended  to  assign  this  grant 
to  her  ;  that  she  was  advised  that  she  would  be  safer  to  have  the 
lands  granted  to  herself  ;  that  Lord  Antrim,  being  applied  to,  readily 
consented  ;  that  the  fee-simple  was  purchased  at  the  full  marketable 
value,  for  that  she,  after  considerable  improvements,  had  let  them 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  323 

some  large  stones  around  the  base  on  the  outside.  About 
10  yards  south-east  of  chis  are  the  remains  of  another  enclo- 
sure, composed  of  earth  and  stones,  21  feet  long  and  12  feet 
broad,  at  one  end,  and  6  feet  at  the  other.  In  this  farm 
there  was  formerly  a  cave  which  has  been  destroyed.  See 
Ord.  Survey  MS. 

In  the  townland  of  Lisbellanagrough,  there  is  in  the  farm 
of  Neal  Sinclair  a  large  stone  presenting  the  appearance  of 
an  arm  chair.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  the  chair  are  the 
ruins  of  what  are  called  by  the  people  "Danish  Fences." 
On  an  eminence  in  the  farm  of  John  M'Mullan,  are  the  ruins 
of  a  fort  composed  of  earth  and  stones,  it  was  enclosed  by  a 
moat  and  parapet,  and  was  24  yards  in  diameter  on  the  top, 
which  is  about  18  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  moat  ;  the 

for  about  £80  a  year  ;  that  she  had  not  given  any  title  of  these  to 
her  brother  Alexander  or  his  children  after  her  death. 

Alexander  Stewart,  after  defending  himself  successfully  at  law, 
died  in  the  following  year- 1742  ;  and,  at  the  death  of  his  sister,  her 
estate   passed  to  his  son  Alexander.     This  Alexander  was  named, 
about  Ballintoy,  Graceless,  from  his  extravagant  mode  of  living.     In 
1757  he  petitioned  the  Irish  House  of  Commons -that  he  had  "  dis- 
covered a  large  body  of  coals  in  his  lands,  great  quantities  of  which 
had  been  exported  to  Dublin  and  other  parts  of  the  kingdom,"  that 
he  had  "  expended  £500  in  attempting  to  construct  a  quay  at  Ballin- 
toy," and  asked  for  a  grant  of  £2,000,  which  was  voted.     In  1759 
he  agam  petitioned,  stating  that  he   had  expended  £1  7,34  on  the 
works  and  asking  for  £1,234  to  complete  the  quay.     This  also  was 
granted,  but  the  project  of  the  quay  and  the  colliery  was  abandoned 
Mr.  Stewart  shortly  afterwards  sold  his  entire  property  in  Ballintoy 
for  which  he  received  £20,000  from  a  Mr.   Cupples  of  Belfast    who 
shortly  afterwards    resold   it   for   the  same  sum  to  Dr.   Fullerton 
Stewart  then  went  to  reside  on  his  estate  at  Acton,  where  he  died' 
His  wife,  a  sister  of  Sir  Hugh  Hill,  of  Derry,  bore  him  a  son  named 
Alexander,  who  lived  riotously  and  after  mortgaging  all  the  family 
property  died  unmarried  at  Drumbanagher,  in  poverty,   about  1790. 
This  terminated  the  main  line  of  Stewart's  of  Ballintoy.       See  HiWA 
Stewards  of  Ballintoy. 


324  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

parapet  is  destroyed,  but  the  moat  is  from  12  to  21  feet 
wide  ;  the  entrance  to  the  fort  was  towards  the  east,  and  near 
it  was  a  well,  which  is  now  closed.  At  the  north  side  the 
fort  had  a  square  enclosure  marked  out  by  a  row  of  standing 
stones  which  are  now  removed.  At  Hugh.  M^Mullan's 
house  there  is  a  granite  stone,  3  ft.  long,  2  ft.  broad,  and  13 
in.  thick,  having  on  its  top  a  circular  basin,  7  in.  in  diameter, 
and  5  in.  deep.  On  the  lower  side  of  the  stone  a  similar 
basin  was  commenced  but  not  completed  ;  this  stone  was 
found  in  an  old  building.  A  large  stone,  5  ft.  high,  5  ft, 
broad,  and  3  ft.  thick,  called  the  "Druid's  Stone,"  stands 
on  a  hill  in  Daniel  M'Conaghy's  farm  ;  it  was  formerly 
surrounded  with  a  pavement  which  has  been  removed.  There 
was  in  Hugh  M'Mullan's  farm  a  fort,  now  destroyed,  in 
which  a  cave  was  discovered,  and  in  it  paved  hearths  and 
querns.  In  John  Murphy's  farm  there  was  a  large  stone, 
supported  by  several  stones,  but  all  have  been  removed  and 
used  to  form  a  fence,  which  crosses  the  site.  There  was  in 
Archy  Black's  farm  a  cave  which  has  been  destroyed.  There 
are  in  Daniel  M'Conaghy's  farm  the  remains  of  a  fort,  which 
seems  to  have  been  about  30  yards  in  diameter.  There  was 
within  it  on  the  south  side,  a  cave  26  ft.  long,  which  is  now 
destroyed.  Leading  to  the  fort,  on  the  south,  north  and 
north-west  sides,  are  the  remains  of  stone  causeways.  This 
fort  is  surrounded,  in  the  form  of  a  square,  by  the  ruins  of 
small  buildings  called  "  Danes'  Houses,"  the  walls  of  which 
are  composed  of  large  stones  laid  close  together  and  earth, 
and  are  from  3  to  4  ft.  broad  and  about  2  ft.  high.  Ten 
yards  south  of  the  fort  is  a  range  of  three  of  these  houses, 
the  centre  one  is  13  ft.  by  9  ft.,  in  the  inside,  and  the  other 
two  are  9  ft.  square  in  the  interior.  Five  yards  to  the  west 
of  the  fort  was  a  range  of  three  houses  nearly  circular,  and 
each  about  4  ft.  in  diameter.     O^xl.  Surv.  MS. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  325 

In  Drumnagee  there  are,  in  the  farm  of  Neal  Todd,  the 
ruins  of  a  fort,  in  the  east  of  which  is  a  cave  excavated  out 
of  the  solid  rock,  but  it  is  now  closed.  There  was  another 
fort  in  the  farm  of  James  Magee,  but  it  was  destroyed  some 
years  ago.      See  Orel.  Surv.  MS. 

In  Araboy  there  is,  in  the  farm  of  James  Rogers,  the  site 
of  an  ancient  church,  named  Kihnacro7ney  ;  great  quantities 
of  human  bones  and  broken  coffins  were  found  on  this  site, 
but  is  now  entirely  subjected  to  tillage.  At  a  ditch  which 
separates  Araboy  from  Drumnagee,  is  a  stone,  7  ft.  long,  5 
ft.  broad,  and  3  ft.  high,  called  "  the  Giant's  Chair,"  which 
is  formed  either  by  nature  or  art  into  the  appearance  of  an 
arm-chair.  A  stone  4  ft.  long,  3  ft.  broad,  and  2  ft.  thick, 
sits  on  smaller  stones,  which  raise  it  about  a  foot  above  the 
ground,  it  is  in  a  piece  of  ground  overgrown  by  natural 
wood,  in  the  farm  of  Alexander  Hill.  To  the  south  of  this 
monument  stood,  at  arranged  distances  from  each  other,  3 
Standing  Stones  which  were  overturned  by  treasure-seekers 
There  was  a  cave  in  the  same  farm  but  it  is  now  partly 
destroyed.  In  this  and  the  adjoining  townlands  several 
vessels  hollowed  out  of  single  pieces  of  wood  and  filled  with 
butter  have  been  found.  There  is  among  the  Ordnance 
Papers  a  drawing  of  one  of  these  which  was  found  in  1820, 
by  James  Hill.  On  the  outside  it  is  four  sided  and  beautifully 
carved,  but  nearly  circular  in  the  inside  ;  it  had  two  handles 
and  would  hold  about  3  gallons  ;  when  found  it  was  filled 
with  butter.  Driven  into  the  subsoil  of  these  bogs  are  fre- 
quently found  timber  stakes,  from  1  to  4  feet  long,  sharpened 
at  the  point  by  three  cuts  of  a  sharp-edged  tool.  These  are 
found  enclosing  sometimes  circular  and  sometimes  oblong 
figures.     See  Ord.  Surv.  MS, 

The  townland  of  Toberkeagh  is  so  named  from  a  well  in 


326  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

the  farm  of  Mr.  Forbes.  A  cave  which  is  now  closed  is  in  the 
farm  of  Samuel  M'Curdy.  There  was  in  the  farm  of  Archy 
Steel,  in  Croaghmore,  an  ancient  graveyard  called  Killy- 
harnagh,  or  Killyvig,  which  is  now  under  tillage  ;  it  gives 
name  to  Straidkeelan.  [n  the  same  farm  there  is  a  "Druidical 
Altar ;  "  it  is  a  stone  8  ft.  long,  2  ft.  10  in.  broad,  and  2  ft. 
9  in.  thick ;  on  the  rere  it  rests  on  the  natural  rock,  and  on  the 
front  it  is  supported  by  a  stone,  4  ft.  long,  4  ft.  high,  and  1 
ft.  9  in.  broad  ;  the  chamber  or  vault  beneath  it  is  8  ft.  long, 
3  ft.  high,  and  from  1  to  3  ft.  wide.  The  fairies  in  its 
vicinity  ai'e  supposed  to  be  numerous  and  ill-disposed  ;  about 
1808^  one  Daniel  Stewart  slept  in  front  of  it,  and  when  he 
awakened  he  found  that  they  had  very  much  disfigured  his 
face.*  In  the  farm  of  Archy  M'Michael  there  is  a  cave  of 
considerable  extent,  the  walls  of  which  are  partly  excavated 
out  of  the  rock  and  partly  built  of  field-stones.  In  1836 
there  was  found  in  the  farm  a  circular  vault  containing 
decayed  bones.  In  the  farm  of  Neal  M'Cormick  was  a  fort, 
which  is  now  destroyed,  there  was  a  cave  around  the  parapet 
of  the  usual  construction.  In  this  farm  were  found  urns 
containing  bones  and  ashes.  Neal  M'Cormick  found  about 
1833,  in  his  farm  two  four-sided  wooden  vessels  filled  with 
butter.  There  was  a  fort  in  the  farm  of  Alexander 
M'Laughlin,  but  it  has  been  destroyed.  In  the  farm  of  John 
M'Loughlin  there  is  an  eminence  in  which  a  cave,  consisting 
of  many  apartments,  has  been  excavated  in  the  soft  rock  ; 

*  The  people  of  this  locality  received  from  their  Scottish  ancestors 
a  wonderful  dread  of  the  fairies.  Towards  the  end  of  the  last  century 
a  cunning  fellow  returned  to  the  neighbourhood,  after  seven  years 
absence,  he  said  he  had  been  with  the  fairies  who  gave  him  a  great 
education ;  he  became  a  school-master  and  the  fame  of  his  literary 
attainments  has  not  yet  died  out ;  old  men  used  to  boast  that  they 
were  taught  by  the  fairy-taught  schoolmaster. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  327 

the  low  and  narrow  passages  entering  into  the  various  rooms 
are  formed  with  field-stones.  A  gravel  quarry  having  been 
opened  in  the  hill  has  exposed  to  view  the  construction  of  the 
apartments — one  of  them  is  26  feet  long,  2  to  3  feet  high, 
and  from  4  to  8  feet  wide ;  roof,  floor  and  walls  are  solid  but 
soft  rock.  Bones  of  animals,  the  flesh  of  which  had  been  used 
for  food,  cinders  and  pieces  of  wood  were  found  in  the 
cave,  Croaghmore  {Cruach-mor,  *  the  large  stack,')  rises 
abruptly  to  the  heightof  471  feetabove  sea-level,  and  iscrowned 
on  its  summit  by  the  ruins  of  a  large  sepulchral  cairn,  now 
nearly  destroyed ;  it  was  about  15  yards  in  diameter.  At 
the  west  side  of  it  is  a  stone,  5  ft.  long,  3  ft.  8  in.  wide,  and 
1  ft.  thick,  which  is  named  "  the  Druid's  Stone."  About  85 
yards  south-east  there  is  the  base  of  another  cairn,  20  yards 
in  diameter,  both  cairns  were  composed  of  middle  size  stones, 
which  have  been  carried  off  to  form  fences.  A  large  tract 
of  the  hill  around  these  cairns  seems  to  have  been  surrounded 
by  a  great  cyclopiati  stone  wall,  a  portion  of  the  foundation  of 
which,  11  feet  broad,  and  composed  of  large  stones,  can  be 
traced  on  the  south  side  of  the  cairns.  In  times  of  persecution 
Mass  was  celebrated  in  a  hollow  near  the  top  of  the  hill, 
named  Leg-an-aifrion — '  the  hollow  of  the  Mass.'  See  Ord. 
Surv.  MS. 

There  is  a  Standing  Stone  in  the  farm  of  John  Shaw,  in 
Prolusk,  4  ft.  high,  4  ft.  broad,  and  2  ft.  thick.  There  is  a 
cave  in  the  farm  of  James  M'Alister,  in  Island-Macallan,  and 
another  in  that  of  John  M'Mullan,  but  both  are  closed. 
In  Carnlelis  there  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  Zeikel 
M'Laughlin  ;  and  in  that  of  Pat  M'Louglin  there  is  another, 
■which  passed  under  a  fort  now  destroyed.  There  are  in  the 
same  townland  several  other  caves,  but  they  are  all  now 
closed.     In  the  farm  of  William   Hopkins   there   were  two 


328  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

"  Giants'  Graves,"  which  are  now  destroyed  ;  bones  were 
found  in  each  of  them.  A  quantity  of  ancient  silver  coins 
were  found  under  a  paved  causeway  in  the  village  of  Carnlelis. 
There  is  near  the  village,  in  the  farm  of  Eobert  M'Loughlin, 
a  Standing  Stone,  2  ft.  high,  2  ft.  broad,  and  2  ft.  long, 
known  as  the  '  Grey  Stone.'     See  Orel.  Surv.  MS. 

There  was  an  ancient  graveyard  in  the  farm  of  James 
Tweedale,  in  Curramoney,  but  its  site  is  now  under  tillage. 
There  was  an  extensive  cave  in  the  farm  of  Joseph  Tweedale, 
but  it  has  been  destroyed.  In  the  farm  of  Daniel  Adair  are 
the  ruins  of  an  ancient  funereal  monument,  which  is  entered 
Druid's  Altar  on  the  Ordnance  Map.  It  is  nearly  triangular 
in  shape,  each  of  the  sides  is  26  feet  in  length,  and  formed  by 
large  stones  standing  from  1  to  5  feet  above  the  surface  of 
the  ground ;  the  interior  is  raised  with  earth  and  stones.  In 
the  interior  of  the  enclosure  lies  a  stone,  5  ft.  long,  3  ft. 
broad  and  nearly  2  ft.  thick  ;  22  of  the  great  stones  still 
occupy  their  original  position.  This  is  obviously  one  of  the 
rare  triangular  monuments,  such  as  we  have  spoken  of  at  p. 
315.  There  is  said  to  be  a  cave  under  the  monument.  In 
Eobero  Creath's  farm,  about  ;^  of  a  mile  south  of  the  triangular 
monument,  there  is  the  site  of  a  cairn,  which  gives  name  to 
Carnanmore,  a  subdenomination  in  the  townland.  The  cairn 
is  nearly  destroyed,  beside  it  was  a  burial  ground,  a  small 
portion  of  which  still  remains.  In  Joseph  Kilpatrick's  farm 
there  is  a  small  green  hill  called  "  Cairnan  Glass  " — '  the 
small  green  cairn,'  which  the  farmer  does  not  subject  to 
tillage  because  it  is  "  gentle," — a  fairy  haunt.*  There  is  a 
Standing  Stone,  2  ft.  10  in,  high,  2  ft.  broad,  and  1  ft.  3  in., 
thick,  in  the  farm  of  Alexander  Kilpatrick,  in  Carrowcroey. 
See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

*It  is  now  removed. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  329 

The  site  of  the  ancient  church  of  Kilmahamogue,  which 
gave  name  to  the  townland,  is  in  the  farm  of  Charles  M'Cahan; 
its  ancient  graveyard  is  now  under  tillage.  Tn  "  reclaiming  " 
the  graveyard  there  was  discovered  in  the  centre  of  it  an 
an  enclosure  formed  by  flat  stones,  the  interior  of  which, 
about  one  cubic  foot,  was  filled  with  white  sand  supposed  to 
have  been  brought  from  some  holy  place  and  deposited  there  ; 
on  the  occasion  of  the  consecration  of  the  graveyard.  Dr. 
Reeves,  Eccl,  Antiq.,  p.  286,  says  that  Kilmahamogue  "may 
be  interpreted  the  '  Church  of  Mochoemog  ' — a  saint  called 
in  Latin  Pulcherius,  and  whose  festival  was  kept  on  the  13th 
of  March."  In  the  farm  of  William  Tweedley  there  is  a 
cave,  which  is  said  to  be  of  considerable  extent.  In  the 
same  townland  there  is  the  site  of  a  second  church,  named 
Killydaghtan. 

In  Ballinlea,  in  1835,  there  was  found  in  a  sand  quarry 
a  funereal  urn  containing  decayed  bones,  it  was  covered  by 
a  flat  stone. 

The  southern  portion  of  Maghernahar  is  called  Lough-a- 
verrie,  where  Dr.  Reeves  supposes  may  have  been  Inis-locha- 
burran,  (see  p.  56),  which  the  Four  Masters  mention,  at 
1544,  as  one  of  the  places  in  the  Route  taken  by  O'Donnell 
from  MacQuillin.  "  A  mill-dam  is  the  only  sheet  of  water  in 
the  neighbourhood,  but  many  of  the  neighbouring  townlands 
present  an  aspect  very  diflferent  from  what  their  names  imply." 

There  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  John  M'Gowan,  in  Brough- 
gammon,  which  is  said  to  be  of  considerable  extent.  In  1828 
there  were  found  at  a  considerable  depth  beneath  the  suiface 
of  a  bog  in  this  townland,  as  many  flint  arrow  heads  of 
difiierent  forms  as  would  fill  a  gallon.  The  site  of  the  Casiol 
— *  a  stone  fort,'  which  gave  name  to  Magheracashel,  is  in  the 
farm  of  Patrick  M'Enerney.     "It  was  enclosed  by  two  para- 


330  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

pets  which  were  also  of  stones,"  and  there  were  under  it  very 
extensive  and  well-built  caves.  Many  bouses  were  erected 
with  the  stones  of  this  Casiol.  It  is  said  that  in  later 
times  a  castle  was  erected  within  the  Casiol,  which  was 
occupied  by  Read,  or  O'Mulderg,  once  the  proprietor  of  a 
large  portion  of  the  Ballintoy  estate.  Tankards,  plated  fire- 
irons  and  other  articles  of  value,  supposed  to  have  belonged 
to  this  family,  were  found  in  the  caves  during  the  demolition 
of  the  Casiol.*  In  the  farm  of  Samuel  M'Cartnej,  and 
near  his  door,  is  a  Holy  Well  called  Toberdoney,  which  was 
formerly  visited  by  crowds  of  sick  persons,  who  came  to  it 
from  great  distances.  Each  visitor  used  to  place  a  small 
stone  on  a  cairn,  "  which  still  remains  unmolested."  About 
250  yards  to  the  north  of  Toberdoney  is  another  Holy  Well, 
named  Scrawnakeehan — '  well  of  the  purblind.'  Scrath  is 
a  local  Irish  word  for  a  well  in  boggy  land.  The  cairn  has  dis- 
appeared ;  in  1848  upwards  of  twenty  cart  loads  of  small 
stones  were  removed  from  it  to  make  drains.  In  the  farm 
of  James  M'Conaghy,  and  opposite  to  his  house,  in  Knock- 
nagarvan,  there  is  a  Standing  Stone,  2  ft.  9  in.  high,  3  ft. 
broad,  and  1  ft.  thick.  There  formerly  stood  a  number  of 
similar  stones  at  the  same  place,  but  this  is  the  only  one  that 
now  remains.      See  Orel.  Survey  MS. 

The  Cromleach,  called  Cloghnaboghill — '  the  stone  of  the 
boy,'  stands  on  a  lofty  eminence  in  the  farm  of  Daniel 
M'Curdy,  in  Lemnaghbeg.  It  stands  in  the  centre  of  a 
circular  platform,  22  feet  in  diameter,  bounded  by  stones, 

*  Tradition  asserts  that  Ballintoy  estate  belonged  to  the  O'Mul- 
dergs,  but  that  the  chieftain  of  that  name  was  murdered  on  the  hill 
of  Knocksoghey  by  Stewart,  who  took  possession  of  the  estate.  The 
O'Muldergs  changed  their  name  in  the  last  century  into  Read,  merely 
because  derrj  signities  '  red, '  which  in  the  county  of  Antrim  is  pro- 
nounced reed. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  331 

which  rise  above  the  earth  from  6  inches  to  2  feet.  Of  these 
stones  8  still  remain.  The  covering  stone  is  of  an  irregular 
shape,  but  concave  on  the  under  side,  6  ft.  long,  3  ft.  8  in. 
broad,  and  2  ft.  thick,  resting  on  four  supporters  which 
average  2  feet  high.  The  vault,  or  chamber  under  the  great 
stone,  is  4  ft.  long,  2  ft.  10  in.  high,  and  from  2  ft.  to  2  ft. 
10  in.  wide.  William  Gray,  Esq.,  M.R.I.A.,  who  has  given 
a  drawing  of  this  Cromlcach  in  the  "  Report  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  Belfast  Naturalists  Field  Club,"  remarks  that  it 
is  the  smallest  in  the  north-east  of  Ireland.  The  pi-ospect 
seaward  from  it  is  very  extended,  including  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  west  coast  and  islands  of  Scotland.  The 
Ordnance  Map  marks  Carnaboghill  about  half  a  mile  south 
of  Cloghnaboghill.  About  a  furlong  south  of  the  Bushmills 
and  Ballintoy  road^  there  is  a  Standing  Stone,  6  ft.  high,  3 
ft.  3  in.  broad,  and  2  ft.  thick,  and  about  a  furlong  south- 
east of  that  there  is  another,  2  ft.  8  in.  high,  2  ft.  broad,  and 
2  ft.  thick  ;  these  stones  are  nearly  in  a  line  with  Cloghna- 
boghill.  There  is  on  the  face  of  a  hill,  in  the  farm  of  Eneas, 
Glass,  about  a  furlong  south  of  the  road,  "a  stone  used  for 
Druidical  worship."  It  is  8  feet  long,  6  feet  broad,  and  5 
feet  thick,  and  is  elevated  from  the  ground,  except  at  the 
east  end,  about  a  foot.  There  are  two  caves  in  this 
townland,  one  in  the  farm  of  John  Stewart,  and  one  in  that 
of  James  M'Clernon.  In  1833,  three  funeral  urns,  separated 
from  each  other  about  a  yard,  and  each  covered  over  the 
mouth  with  a  flat  stone,  were  found  in  this  townland.  See 
Orel.  Surv.  MS. 

In  Clegnagh,  at  about  a  quarter  of  mile  north-east  of 
Cloghnabghill,  stands  another  cromleach.  It  is  situated  on 
a  lofty  eminence,  in  the  farm  of  David  Logan,  (present  owner 
John  M'Lernon),  about  60   perches  south   of  the  Bushmills 


332  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

and  Ballintoy  road.  The  cromleach  is  surrounded  by  18 
stones  sunk  in  the  ground  and  rising  from  1^  to  3  feet  above 
the  surface ;  these  are  arranged  in  an  oval,  32  by  23  feet. 
The  covering  stone  is  of  a  very  irregular  shape,  tapering  from 
the  base  to  the  top,  but  somewhat  concave  on  the  under  side. 
It  measures  4  feet  long,  5  feet  broad,  and  3  feet  2  inches 
thick,  and  rests  on  4  stones,  varying  from  1|  to  2  feet  above 
the  surface.  Tlie  chamber,  or  space  beneath  it,  is  4  feet 
long,  2  feet  wide,  and  2  feet  high.  On  the  north-west  side 
of  this  cromleach,  and  about  1  foot  from  its  base,  stood 
another  supported  on  6  stones,  which  stand  from  1  to  2  feet 
above  the  surface,  except  1  which  is  of  large  size ;  the  top 
stone  of  this  cromleach  has  been  removed,  the  chamber 
beneath  it  was  4  feet  long,  and  3  feet  wide.  See  Ord.  Sur. 
MS.  It  would  seem  that  this  monument  belongs  to  the  class 
of  Giants'  Graves  or  Kistvaens,  more  than  to  that  of 
cromleachs.  Some  of  the  stones  have  fallen  into  a  quarry. 
Mr.  Gray  has  given  a  drawing  of  this  monument,  and  states 
he  has  found  worked  flints,  flint  flakes,  and  numerous  chips 
of  flints  very  near  it.  About  a  quarter  mile  south  of  this 
cromleach  on  a  rocky  hill,  in  the  farm  of  James  Black,  in 
Lemnaghbeg,  stands  a  very  large  stone ;  it  is  surrounded  by 
other  stones  placed  at  some  distance  from  it.  Ord.  Sur.  MS. 
The  ruins  ot  an  ancient  enclosure,  oval  shaped,  16  by  14 
feet,  formed  by  flat  stones  on  their  ends,  standing  from  1  to 
2 1  feet  above  the  ground,  are  to  be  seen  in  the  farm  of 
Archy  Black,  Clegnagh ;  only  a  few  of  the  stones  remain  in 
their  original  position,  and  the  monument  is  much  disfigured. 
In  John  M'Curdy's  farm,  in  this  townland,  there  is  a  cave, 
which  was  formerly  explored,  but  is  now  closed.  On  a 
small  hill  close  to  this,  in  the  farm  of  Francis  M'Lernon, 
were  found  several  square  spaces  paved  with  flat  stones,  and 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  333 

having  at  each  end  a  small  Standing  Stone,  when  any  of 
these  pavements  was  lifted  there  were  found  under  it  a 
quantity  of  decayed  bones,  pieces  of  earthen  urns,  pieces  ot 
wood,  cinders  and  moist  black  earth,  resting  on  a  lower  pave- 
ment. In  the  same  farm  there  is  the  supposed  site  of  a  battle  ; 
the  place  is  called  Maghera-na-gragh,  which  is  locally  trans- 
lated :  "the  plain  of  the  pillage."  Cannon  balls  of  metal, 
weighing  from  3  to  6  pounds  have  been  found  in  it,  one  found 
in  1833,  10  inches  in  circumference,  is  in  Francis  M'Lernon's. 
In  Clegnagh  there  is  a  Standing  Stone,  3  feet  high,  3  feet 
broad,  and  2  feet  thick.     See  Ord.  Sur.  MS. 

On  the  summit  of  a  beautiful  hill,  close  to  the  sea  shore, 
in  White  Park,  are  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  cairn,  12  yards 
in  diameter,  enclosed  formerly  around  the  base  by  a  row  of 
stones,  from  half  foot  to  3  feet  above  the  surface;  some  of  them 
yet  remain ;  the  interior  is  of  earth  and  stones  ;  it  is  locally 
called  KnocJcnagalliagh — "  the  Hag's  Hill."  A  drawing  of 
this  mound  is  given  in  Journal  of  the  Historical  and 
Archceolog.  Association  of  Ireland,  July,  1879.  It  is  by 
Mr.  William  Gx'ay,  who  found  in  the  mound  the  remains  of 
a  skeleton  laid  on  a  rude  pavement  of  flat  stones.  The  circle 
of  stones,  surrounding  the  base  of  a  tent-shaped  tumulus  over 
the  dead,  is  supposed  by  some  antiquarians  to  represent  the 
stonesj  to  which  were  tied  the  ropes  fastening  the  skins  or 
covering  of  the  tents  of  the  living.  In  the  vicinity  of  Knockna- 
galliagh,  there  are  remains  of  ancient  stone  fences  or  parapets, 
stone  enclosures,  and  stones  supported  on  one  end  by  other 
stones,  as  if  arranged  so  for  some  purpose.  The  whole  of  White 
Park  exhibits  traces  of  the  earliest  colonists,  and  it  presents  a 
complete  Museum  of  flint  weapons  of  the  earliest  form.* 

♦Drawings  and  descriptions  of  the  White  Park  stone  implements 
and  pottery  have  been  given  by  Mr.  Gray  in  the  Journal  of  the  Hist. 


334  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

In  Magheraboy,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  the 
Bushmills  I'oad,  are  the  ruins  of  a  fort,  which  was  20  yards 
in  diameter ;  the  parapet  is  now  destroyed,  except  five  stones 
which  stand  from  1  to  2  feet  above  surface  ;  they  are  on  the 
brink  of  a  great  precipice  adjoining  White  Park.  In  the 
farm  of  Michael  Quigg,  in  Magheraboy,  there  is  an  artificial 
cave,  which  was  formerly  used  as  a  store  for  smuggled  goods, 
but  is  now  closed.  See  Ord.  Sur.  MS.  Mount  Druid 
Cromleach  occupies  a  commanding  site  at  an  elevation  of 
500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  cap-stone  is  an 
irregular  block,  measuring  7  feet  on  the  west,  6  on  the  east, 
and  5  on  the  south  side,  while  it  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
more  than  1  foot  on  the  north  side,  but  that  side  has  been 
injured  ;  in  thickness  it  varies  from  1  to  2  feet,  and  is 
supported  on  3  out  of  5  stones  which  form  the  chamber ; 
the  supporting  stones  are  from  2  to  3  feet  above  the  ground; 
the  chamber  is  4  feet  long,  4  feet  broad,  and  3  feet  9  inches 
high.  This  monument  seems  to  have  stood  within  two 
circles  of  stones  ;  rising  from  ^  half  foot  to  1|  feet  above  the 
ground  ;  the  ou  ter  of  these  was  37  feet  in  diameter.  Mr.Gray 
has  given  an  accurate  drawing  of  this  monument,  but,  the 
illustrations  of  it  given  in  the  Dublin  Fenny  Journal  and 
Dubourdieu's  Statistical  Survey  cannot  be  relied  on.  In 
Andrew  Stewart's  farm  in  Ballintoy,  there  stood  what  seems 
to  have  been  a  Giant's  Grave  or  Kistvaen,  it  was  1 2  feet  long, 
and  from  3  to  5  feet  wide,  and  about  4  feet  high,  '•  the  walls 
were  of  dry-stone-work,  and  the  roof  of  long  flat  stones";  in 
demolishing  it  some  years  before  1838,  it  was  found  to 
contain  a  quantity  of  rich  black  earth.     Near  it,  in  working 

and  ArcluBol.  Soc,  for  July,  1879,  and  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Knowles  in 
that  for  July,  1885,  and  a  "Report  on  the  Explorations  at  White 
Park  Bay"  was  read  by  Mr.  Alexander  M 'Henry  before  the  Royal 
Irish  Academy,  on  the  8fch  of  February,  1886. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY,  335 

a  quarry^  was  found  an  ornamented  earthen  urn  filled  with 
decayed  bones. 

Of  Ballintoy  Castle  very  little  now  remains  ;  it  occupied 
a  beautiful  site  half  a  mile  west  of  the  village,  and  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  south  of  the  sea  shore.  In  its  immediate  vicinity 
is  the  Protestant  Church,  which,  according  to  local  tradition, 
occupies  the  site  of  an  ancient  monastic  establishment ;  the 
same  tradition  relates  that  this  graveyard  was  formerly  named 
Drumnaskallin.  Ballintoy,  (Baile-an-tuaidh),  signifies  "the 
town  of  the  North."  The  church  is  not  mentioned  in  the  tax- 
ation of  Pope  Nicholas,  nor  in  other  ancient  rolls,  because  the 
parish  seems  to  have  formed  a  part  of  Billy,  as  it  did  in  the 
Protestant  arrangement  until  1722.  The  church  and  castle 
were  fortified  by  the  Protestants  in  1641.  The  Irish 
marched  to  Ballintoy  immediately  after  their  successful 
night  attack  on  the  British  forces  at  Portna,  but,  the  little 
garrison  refused  to  open  its  gates,  aad  the  tumultuary  force 
marched  on  to  Dunluce.  A  portion  of  the  Irish  force, 
however,  returned  shortly  afterwards  and  laid  seige  to  the 
castle  and  church.  An  account  of  the  siege  is  contained  in 
Gilladuflfe  O'Cahan's  Deposition. 

And  this  Examinant  saith,  that  Alaster  M'CoU  M'Donnell  sent 
orders  to  this  Examinant  in  the  beginning  of  November,  1641,  to 
beseige  and  assault  and  get  into  the  church  of  Ballintoy,  then  kept 
by  the  British,  upon  peril  of  his  life.  That  soon  after,  this  examinant 
not  daring  to  do  otherwise,  went  into  Ballintoy,  and  he,  this 
Examinant,  with  Turlogh  Oge's  men  and  Donnell  Groome  and 
Dualtagh  M  Alister's  men,  who  then  lay  about  Ballintoy,  went  to 
the  said  church  and  assaulted  it,  seeking  to  force  the  door,  that  three 
of  the  assailants  were  killed  by  shots  sent  out  of  the  said  church,  and 
this  Examinant,  being  under  or  near  the  church  wall,  was  hit  upon 
his  head  piece  with  a  small  stone,  thrown  out  of  the  church,  where- 
upon he  and  the  said  men  retreated.  That  soon  after  his  said  son, 
Turlogh  Oge  O'Cahan,  and  his  men  and  the  said  M'Allister's  men 
did  again  assault  the  said  church,  and  endeavoured  to  break  the  wall 


336  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

with  pickaxes,  but  were  beaten  off  with  the  loss  of  two  men.  And 
this  examinant  further  saith,  that  after  the  Irish  had  beaten  the 
British  in  the  Layney,  and  killed  very  many  of  them,  and  taken 
several  colours,  he,  this  Examinant,  and  his  sons,  Henry  M 'Henry 
and  Turlogh  Oge  O'Caghan,  wrote  a  letter  unto  Mr.  Fullerton  and 
Archibald  Boyd,  then  in  Ballintoy  house  for  surrender  of  it,  certifying 
among  other  things  that  Mr.  Stewart's  and  .  .  .  forces  were  all 
killed,  with  no  other  forces  than  their  own,  and  so  wished  them  to 
surrender  the  house,  and,  as  they  had  souls  to  save,  promised  they 
would  conduct  them  with  good  convoy  from  thence  to  Coleraine,  or 
Inver,  which  letter  containing  much  more  being  showed  unto  this 
Examinant,  he  said  that  he  and, his  two  sons  subscribed  that  letter 
and  sent  it  unto  the  said  persons,  hoping  that  upon  the  news  therein 
they  would  surrender  the  said  house.  That  the  British  in  the  said 
house  not  surrendering  it  upon  the  said  letter,  this  Examinant 's  son, 
Turlogh  Oge  O'Caghan,  sent  for  cannon  and  brought  against 
Ballintoy,  and  shot  two  shots  at  the  said  house,  but  it  did  no  service. 
Depositions  preserved  in  T.  G.  D. 

W.  Hill,  {Macdo7inells  p.p.  72-73),  has  given  a  long  letter, 
written  by  James  M'Donnell,  "  for  the  gentlemen  in 
Ballintoy :  Mr.  Will.  Foulerton,  Archd.  Boyd,  Thos.  Boyd, 
and  the  rest,"  advising  them  to  surrender  and  promising  safety 
and  protection  to  the  people.  They,  however,  held  out  until 
their  besiegers  retired  before  the  forces  of  Munro,  Among 
the  terrible  traditions  of  blood  and  cruelty  which  the  war  of 
1641  has  left  to  posterity,  there  is  one  noble  act  of  humanity 
preserved  in  the  fire-side  tales  of  Ballintoy,  "  which  affirms  " 
says  Mr.  Hill,  "  that  during  the  siege  of  Ballintoy  castle, 
the  adjoining  church  was  crowded  by  a  trembling  multitude 
of  Protestant  women  and  children.  In  their  dire  extremity, 
a  good  Roman  Catholic  priest,  named  31'Glaime,'^  at  great 

*  It  is  said  that  a  brother  of  Father  M'Glaime  lived  to  the  age  of 
117  ;  he  resided  on  a  farm  at  Straid.  About  the  end  of  the  last 
century  the  vestry  of  Ballintoy  voted  parochial  relief  to  a  poor  man 
named  Chriostal  M'Glaime,  principally  because  he  was  a  relative  of 
the  priest. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  337 

personal  risk,  interfered  for  their  preservation.  Having 
obtained  permission  to  supply  them  with  water,  he  secretly 
filled  the  water  vessels  with  oatmeal,  merely  covering  it  with 
a  few  inches  depth  on  the  top.  In  this  fashion  he  daily  con- 
veyed to  the  captives  as  much  food  as  kept  them  from  star- 
vation until  the  siege  was  raised."  We  have  seen  at  p.  197 
the  humanity  shown  by  the  Irish  to  the  besieged  inhabitants 
of  Coleraine,  and  we  may  be  convinced  that  no  small  amount 
of  cruelties  attributed  to  them  may  be  ascribed  to  the  stories 
invented  by  the  successful  party  to  justify  the  wholesale 
forfeitures  with  which  they  enriched  themselves.  There  are 
two  wells  in  this  townland,  named  respectively,  Fuarawn — 
'  the  cold  spring  ';  that  in  Alt-a-chach  used  to  be  decorated 
in  May  with  garlands  of  May  flowers  and  holly,  and  there 
were  some  devotions  practised  at  it.  Informant  Alexander 
M'Camon,  1885.  This  well  is  said  to  rise  and  fall  with  the 
tide.  A  beautiful  gravel  mound  called  Knockanvergish,  is 
a  little  N.E.  of  the  church.  On  a  headland  adjoining  the 
sea-shore  is  Ballintoy  Demesne  there  was  an  ancient  grave- 
yard, named  Brumnascragh  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the 
north-west  of  Ballintoy  church.  All  traces  of  the  grave- 
yard are  removed  and  its  site  under  tillage.  In  1838,  the 
farm,  in  which  it  had  been,  belonged  to  Hugh  Dickson. 
In  this  townland  there  is,  in  the  farm  of  John  M'Neill, 
Esq.,  a  Standing  Stone,  4  feet  4  inches  high,  2  feet 
l)road,  and  1  foot  10  inches  thick,  near  it  is  a  cave  of  the 
usual  construction,  now  closed.  In  this  farm,  close  to  the 
sea  shore,  are  the  ruins  of  a  fort,  somewhat  oval ;  the  fort 
was  45  feet  long,  and  on  the  top  measured  on  N.  W.  end  8 
feet  in  breadth,  and  on  the  S.  W.  end  3  feet ;  the  broad  end 
stands  from  30  to  40  feet  above  the  valley  beneath,  and  the 
narrow  end  is   5   feet   above  the   level   of  the  field.     This 

w 


338  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

earthwork  is  opposite  a  cluster  of  rocky  isles.*  In  the  part 
of  this  townland  called  the  Stone  Park,  about  200  yards 
south  of  the  Bushmills  road,  are  two  Standing  Stones,  which 
seem  to  have  been  part  of  some  ancient  monument ;  they 
stand  on  the  face  of  a  rising  hill,  and  over  a  precipice ;  one 
of  them  4  feet  high,  3  feet  broad,  and  1  foot  8  inches  thick; 
the  other  is  one  foot  distant  from  it  and  is  somewhat  smaller. 
See  Ord.  Sur.  MS. 

In  Knocksoghey,  in  the  farm  of  Henry  Kelly,  is  a  fortified 
headland  called  the  Boon,  opposite  to  Sheep  Island.  A  moat 
and  parapet  on  the  land  side  fortifies  about  half  a  rood  of 
the  headland  ;  the  parapet  is  of  earth  and  stones,  and  rises 
from  8  to  12  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  moat,  which 
averages  23  feet  in  width.  This  fort  gives  name  to  Larry 
Ban  Bay — Leath-rath-han — (pronounced  Lah-raw-bawn) — 
"  the  white  half  fort,"  so  named  because  it  was  fortified  by 
art  only  on  one  side,  the  land  side.  The  bay  extends  from  the 
fort  to  the  celebrated  insular  rock,  Garrick-a-raide,  which 
is  also  in  this  townland.  On  a  rocky  hill  near  the  sea  shore 
stood  a  cromleach,  named  the  Ringing  AStoHe,  because  it  emitted 
a  ringing  sound  when  struck.  The  top  stone  measured 
7  feet  long,  4  feet  broad,  and  I  foot  9  inches  thick, 
and  rested  on  4  supporters,  until  about  the  year  1828,  when 
it  was  thrown  from  its  position  by  a  person  who  had  dreamt 
that  treasure  was  deposited  under  it.  One  of  its  former 
supporters  stands  3  feet  9  inches  above  the  ground  ;  the 
other  three,  though  large  stones,  are  not  so  high.  It  was 
surrounded  by  a  circle  of  stones,  most  of  which  are  now 
removed.     On  the  same  hill  are  several  large  stones  probably 

*A  rocky  island  opposite  Demesne  is  said  to  have  been  used  as  a 
graveyard,  skulls  and  bones  have  been  found  in  it,  and  several  of  the 
insulated  rocks  bear  traces  of  fortifications.     See  Ord.  Sur.  3fS. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  339 

some  way  connected  with  the  Cromleacb.  This  monument 
was  in  the  farm  of  William  O'Kane.  In  the  same  townland 
there  is  a  large  stone  in  the  farm  of  John  Donnelly.  It 
has  a  basin  2  feet  in  diameter,  and  1  foot  deep,  hollowed  in 
its  top  ;  it  is  named  the  Knocking  Stone,  because  it  was  used 
for  preparing  barley,  but  its  original  purpose  can  only  be 
conjectured.  In  William  O'Kane's  farm,  there  is  on  the 
summit  of  a  rocky  hill  a  Standing  Stone,  2  feet  high,  2  feet 
broad,  and  2  feet  thick.  lu  the  face  of  rocky  hills  in  this 
townland,  about  three  furlongs  east  of  Ballintoy  and  a  little 
south  of  the  road,  is  another  cromleach  ;  the  top  stone,  raised 
on  supporters  nearly  two  feet  above  the  ground,  is  5  feet 
long,  4  feet  broad,  and  4  feet  thick ;  the  two  other  stones 
supporting  it  in  front  are  3  feet  distant  from  each  other. 
Dubourdien  describes  {Statistical  Survey,  p.  618)  a  vessel 
with  a  handle  and  spout  shaped  like  a  coffee  pot,  which  had 
theee  legs  and  was  formed  of  a  brassy  metal  it  is  eight  inches 
high,  and  at  the  broadest  part,  or  belly,  four  and  a  half.* 
It  was  found  in  a  cave  near  the  sea  shore  in  Knocksoghey. 
It  was  given  to  Mr.  Trail  of  the  Rectory.  See  Ord.  Sur.  MS. 
In  Glenstaghey,  when  demolishing  ancient  enclosures 
locally  called  "  Danes'  Houses,"  there  were  found  under  them 
Kistvaens  containing  decayed  bones.  In  various  parts  of 
this  townland  kistvaens,  urns,  flint  arrow  heads,  stone 
hatchets,  and  other  remnants  of  pre-historic  times  have  been 
frequently  found.  In  this  townland  is  the  Oiant's  Cut,  a 
long,   deep   and   narrow  opening  between    two    headlands, 

*Several  of  these  beautiful  bronze  vessels  have  been  found  in 
various  parts  of  Ireland;  so  that  they  seem  to  be  of  native  manufacture, 
and  are  highly  creditable  to  the  taste  and  skill  of  the  Irish  workmen. 
A  drawing  of  one  of  them  which  was  found  near  Grey  Abbey  in  1742, 
is  given  in  Vallancey's  Golectanea  de  Reb.  Hib.  Nuvib.  XIII.  Vol.  IV. 
One  found  in  Aughnahoy,  near  Portglenone,  is  in  the  writer's  collection. 


340  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

into  whicli  the  tide  rushes  with  great  fury ;  it  is  named  by 
those  who  speak  the  Irish  language  Buille-Cucliullian — 
the  stroke  of  CuchuUan,  and  is  ascribed  by  them  to  a  blow 
of  that  hero's  sword  which  cleft  the  rocks.  See  Ord.  Sur. 
MS.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  south  east  of  it  lies,  off 
Kenbane  Castle,  a  sunken  rock  named  Carrickmannanan 
— "  the  rock  of  Mannanan — a  great  magician  who  drowned 
himself  here,  but,  whose  wicked  spirit,  even  after  death, 
still  raises  the  storms  which  render  this  rock  so  dangerous."* 
See  Ord.  Sur.  MS.  A  little  to  the  east  of  the  Giant's  Cut 
are  the  remains  of  an  ancient  enclosure  formed  by  stones 
set  in  the  ground  on  their  ends  and  rising  from  1  to  2  feet 
over  the  surface  ;  it  is  28  yards  long  and  28  yards  broad. 
This  was  thought  to  have  been  a  graveyard,  as  there  were 
formerly  on  the  west  side  of  it  several  well  formed  graves, 
which  are  now  level  with  the  field.  The  place  is  named 
Lignalaniv — '  the  Infant's  Hollow."     Ancient    foundations 

*  The  legends  connected  with  the  Giant's  Cut  and  Carrickmannanan 
seem  to  be  contained  in  The  Sick  Bed  of  Cuchulain  and  the  only 
jealousy  of  (his  wife)  Eimir,  an  ancient  tale  quoted  from  the  "Yellow 
Book  of  Slane"  in  the  Leabhar  na  h-Uidhre.  The  Lady  Fand  being 
repudiated  by  her  husband  Manannan  Mac  Lir  the  famous  Tuatha 
de  Danann  (fairy)  chief — the  Neptune  of  the  Irish,  "  the  horseman  of 
the  crested  wave,"  sends  Liban — "sea  woman" — to  offer  her  love  to 
Cuchulain,  who  accepts  her  hand.  Some  time  afterwards,  however, 
Manannan  repented  of  his  repudiation  of  her,  and  she  consented  to 
accompany  him  back  to  his  court  in  the  isle  of  Manainn,  (now  Man, 
which  still  bears  his  name).  Cuchulain,  upon  her  desertion,  lost  his 
senses — he  struck  all  around  him  and  strove  to  kill  the  poets  and 
druids  of  Ulster  who  were  sent  to  heal  him  ;  the  druids  then  gave 
him  ' '  a  drink  of  forgetfulness  "  and  the  remembrance  of  Fand  passed 
from  his  mind.  "  Manannan,  in  the  meantime,  shook  his  cloak 
between  Cuchulain  and  Fand,  to  the  end  that  they  might  never  meet 
again."  The  tale,  like  every  other  one  referring  to  the  Tuatha-de- 
Danann,  is  replete  with  stories  of  witchcraft  and  the  interference  of 
spirits  with  the  affairs  of  men. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLTNTOY.  341 

of  what  are  locally  named  '  Danes'  Houses  '  in  its  vicinity- 
testify  that  it  was  once  a  place  of  some  importance.  See 
Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

The  following  list  of  landlords  of  the  different  townlands 
of  the  civil  parish  of  Ballintoy,  in  the  year  1813,  is  given  in 
Mason's  Parochial  Survey — Adam  Cuppage,  owner  of  Araboy^ 
Croagh,  Straidkeelan  and  Toberkeagh. — R.  Montgomery 
M'Neal,  of  Artiraacormick. — George  Alex.  Fulerton,*  of 
Ballintoy,  Broughgammon,  Clegnagh,  Craiganee,  Glenstaghy, 
Kilmahamogue,  Lagavara,  Lemnagh,  Maghernahar,  Magher- 
aboy,  (except  Glebe),  Magheracashel,  White  Park. — Hugh 
Anderson,  of  Cairn. — James  Leslie,  of  Cairnanmore,  Carn- 
lelis,     Carrowcroey,     Curramoney,     Kittal,     Templastragh. 

*  A  Mr.  Fullerton  iu  the  last  century  having  realized  a  large  fortune 
as  a  physician,  in  Jamaica,  purchased  the  Ballintoy  estate  for 
£20,000,  soon  after  it  had  been  sold  by  the  Stewarts.  Having  no 
family  he  bequeathed  his  property  to  his  niece,  Catherine  Fullerton, 
who  married  Dawson  Downing  of  llowesgift  and  Bellaghy,  in  the 
county  of  Derry,  and  whose  son,  according  to  her  uncle's  will,  assumed 
the  name  and  arms  of  Fullerton.  This  son  named  George  Alexander, 
(after  both  her  father  and  uncle),  was  born  in  the  Mansion  House  at 
Ballycastle,  in  1775,  and  died  at  Tockiugton  Manor,  Gloucestershire, 
1847.  His  eldest  son,  named  Alexander  George  Fullerton,  was  born 
in  1808,  and  in  1833  married  Lady  Georgiana  Leveson  Gower,  second 
daughter  of  the  late  Earl  of  Grenville.  Their  only  son,  born  in  1834, 
died  in  1855,  just  as  he  had  attained  his  majority,  and  the  family 
estates  are  to  be  inherited  by  his  cousin.  See  Hill's  Montgomery 
MSS.  p.  80.  Mr.  Fullerton  and  Lady  Georgiana  both  became  con- 
verts and  have  been  very  generous  to  the  parish  of  Ballintoy.  Lady 
Georgiana  was  a  distinguished  authoress,  her  literary  career 
commenced  with  a  novel,  entitled  "Ellen  Middleton,"  which  was 
published  in  1844,  followed  by  "  Grantley  Manor,"  a  novel  dealing 
with  the  religious  controversies  of  the  day.  In  1846  she  became  a 
Catholic  and  since  then  she  published  numerous  works  of  fiction, 
some  of  which  touched  upon  the  government  of  Ireland  by  England 
before  the  Union.  She  died  at  Bournemouth  on  the  19th  of  January, 
18S5. 


342  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

— Rev.  C,  M'Daniel  Stewart,  of  Cloughcorr. — W.  Tennant, 
of  Coolmaghara — John  M'Neale,  of  Currysheskin,  George 
Atkinson  Wray,  of  Craigalappan,  Prolusk, — John 
Johnston,  of  Craig. — Lord  Caledon,  of  Drumnagee  and  part 
of  Drumnagessan. — J.  Dunlop,  of  part  of  Drumnagessan. — 
Hugh  Lyle,  of  Island  Macallan,  Lissan. — Samnel  Allan,  of 
])art  of  Lisbellanagroagh. — James  S.  Moore,  of  part  of 
Lisbel  Ian  agroagh . 

The  civil  parish  of  Grange  of  Drumtullagh  contains  at 
present  3,751  aci'es,  but  in  the  Down  Survey  the  townlands 
of  Kilmaharaogue,  Island  Macallan,  Carnlelis,  Curramoney, 
and  Carrowcroey  containing  1,487,  now  included  in  the  civil 
parish  of  Ballintoy,  were  in  that  part  of  the  civil  parish  of 
Derrykeighan,  which  at  present  constitutes  the  grange  of 
Drumtullagh.  The  Trijiartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick  speaking 
of  the  labours  of  the  saint  in  Dalriada,  says  ^' He  founded 
Rath-Mudhain  (Ramoan)  and  left  Presbyter  Erclach  in  it ; 
he  left  Bishop  Nem  in  Telach  Ceniul  Aenghusa  " — '  Telach 
in  the  territory  of  the  race  Aenghus.'  In  Colgan's  trans- 
lation of  this  passage  the  bishop  is  named  Nehemias,  and  the 
church  Tulach.  Dr.  Reeves  thinks,  that  Tulach  may  be 
Drumtullagh,  which  adjoins  the  parish  of  Ramoan  on  the 
west,  and  we  might  add,  that  Kilmahamogue,  which  was 
formerly  within  the  grange,  may  be  only  a  corrviption  of 
Kil-mo-Nem-og — 'the  church  of  St.  Nem,'  The  Calendar  of 
Donegal  commemorates  on  the  3rd  of  May,  *'  Nem,  Bishop 
of  Drum-Dallain."  The  townlaud  of  Kilmoyle  is  named 
from  a  church  which  stood  on  the  north  side  of  the  old  grave- 
yard. That  cemetery,  which  is  105  feet  to  the  south  of  the 
Coleraine  and  Ballycastle  road,  is  in  a  field,  and  is  not  pro- 
tected  by  any  fence,  nor  has  it  any  gravestones  ;  it  is  nearly 
semi-circular  in  form,  and  its  greatest  breadth  is  only  80  feet. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  343 

Traces  of  an  artificial  cave  were  to  be  seen  at  its  eastern  side, 
in  1838.  The  vicinity  of  this  old  church  was  locally  known 
by  the  name  of  Croshan.  Local  tradition  asserts,  that  it  was 
intended  that  the  monastery  afterwards  erected  at  Bunamargy 
should  have  been  built  at  this  place,  and.  that  the  blessed 
mould  brought  from  Rome  to  consecrate  the  cemetery  was 
first  deposited  here,  but  that,  for  some  reason  now  forgotten, 
it  was  transferred  to  Bunamargy  and  the  monastery  was 
erected  at  that  place.  There  was  found,  in  1833,  in  a  fort 
at  Lisnagat,  two  buttons  of  lead,  each  of  the  size  of  a  penny, 
connected  together  by  a  chain  of  rough  leaden  rings ;  along 
with  them  was  found  a  bronze  brooch.  In  1830  a  bronze 
sword,  2  feet  long,  2|  inches  broad,  which  had  a  bone  handle 
attached  with  rivets,  was  found  in  a  flow  bog  in  Mosside.  It 
is  said  that  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  Dr.  M'Donnell  of 
Belfast.  Mac  A  bruin's  Cair?i  is  in  the  farm  of  Hugh  Mackey,  of 
Knockmore,  or  Mosside  ;  it  is  said  that  MacAbruin  was  a 
great  robber  and  that  he  lies  buried  under  the  cairn,  which 
is  3  feet  high  and  4  feet  in  diameter.  See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 
There  is  preserved  in  the  Town  Hall,  Ballymoney,  an  ancient 
wooden  water-wheel,  a  drawing  of  which  is  given  in  the 
Ulste7'  Journal  of  Archoiology,  Vol.  4,  p.  6.*     It  was  found, 

*The  following  description  of  a  mill  taken  from  Hibhert's  Description 
of  the  Shetland  Islands,  1822,  will  explain  how  these  simple  con- 
structions were  wrought,  "The  mill-stones  are  commonly  formed  of 
a  micaceous  gneiss,  being  from  thirty  to  thirty  six  inches  in  diameter. 
Under  the  framework  by  which  they  are  supported,  is  a  horizontal 
wheel,  of  the  same  diameter  as  the  mill-stones,  named  a  Tirl,  which 
consists  of  a  stout  cylindrical  post  of  wood,  about  four  feet  long,  into 
which  are  morticed  twelve  small  float  boards,  placed  in  a  slanting 
direction,  or  at  an  oblique  angle.  It  has  a  pivot  at  its  under  end, 
which  runs  on  a  hollowed  iron  plate,  fixed  on  a. beam.  A  strong  iron 
spindle  attached  to  the  upper  end  of  the  Tirl  passes  through  a  hole 
in  the  under  mill-stone  and  is  firmly  wedged  in  the  upper  one.  A 
trough  conducts  the  water  that  falls  from  the  hill  upon  the  feathers 


344  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

about  1848,  in  the  bog  of  Moycraig  and  on  the  farm  of 
William  Hamill.  The  water-wheel  consists  of  a  nave  and 
upright  axle,  both  cut  out  of  one  solid  piece  of  oak.  Round 
the  axle  are  inserted  19  buckets,  or  i-ather  ladles,  also  of  oak, 
so  curved  as  best  to  receive  the  impulse  of  the  water.     At 

of  the  Tirl,  at  an  inclination  of  40  or  45  degrees,  which  giving 
motion  to  the  upper  mill-stone  turns  it  slowly  round.  To  the  hopper 
that  surmounts  the  upper  mill-stone  there  is  a  log  of  wood  fastened, 
which,  striking  upon  the  uneven  upper  surface  of  the  stone,  shakes 
this  repository  for  the  corn  and  makes  it  come  out  ;  while  too  quick 
an  escape  is  checked  by  a  device  for  lessening  the  size  of  the  aperture. 
But  sometimes  there  is  no  hopper  at  all,  and  a  man  patiently  feeds 
the  mill  with  his  hand."  Tlie  Montgomery  MS8.  speaking  of  the 
little  streams  in  the  Ards,  say:— "And  on  them  each  townland 
almost  had  a  little  miln  for  grinding  oats,  dryed  in  potts  or  singed  and 
leazed  in  ye  straw,  which  was  ye  old  Irish  custom,  the  mealle  whereof 
called  Greddane  was  very  course.  The  milns  are  called  Danish  or 
ladle  milnes  ',  the  axle  tree  stood  upright  and  ye  small  stones  or 
querns  (such  as  are  turnedVith  hands)  on  ye  top  thereof  ;  the  water- 
wheel  was  fixed  at  ye  lower  end  of  ye  axletree,  and  did  run  horizon- 
tally among  ye  water  ;  a  small  force  driving  it.". —  "The  hopper  is 
suspended  by  four  strings  from  the  roof  of  the  hut,  which  is  scarcely 
sufficient  to  contain  a  man  upright.  M'Cidloch's  Western  Isles  of 
Scotland.  Such  were  the  old  Irish  monastic  mills  so  frequently 
mentioned  in  the  Lives  of  the  Saints.  The  water-mill  does  not  appear 
to  be  a  Homan  invention,  Strabo  mentions  that  a  mill  of  this  kind 
was  erected  in  Pontus  in  Asia  Minor  by  King  Mithridates  which  is 
the  earliest  on  record.  An  Irish  bard,  who  died  in  the  year  1024, 
gives  a  poetical  account  from  tradition  of  the  erection  of  the  first 
water-wheel  in  Ireland.  The  poet  relates,  that  the  monarch  Cormac, 
in  the  third  century,  desirous  of  saving  a  beautiful  handmaid  the 
labour  of  grinding  corn  daily  in  a  quern,  sent  across  the  sea — to 
Roman  Britain,  for  a  millwright  who  erected  a  mill  on  the  stream 
Nith,  near  Tara.  See  Mr.  M' Adam's  Paper  on  the  Irish  Water  Mill. 
Ulster  Journal  of  Archoiol. ,  Vol.  I V.  The  Irish  water-mill  was  simply 
the  quern  turned  by  water  instead  of  by  hand.  The  writer  had 
recently  an  opportunity  of  examining  and  procuring,  in  Co.  Donegal, 
the  complete  fixtures  of  an  Irish  quern  in  full  working  order,  which 
makes  excellent  meal,  The  under-stone  is  stationary  and  through  its 
centre  rises  a  round  piece  of  hard  wood — punt-an-bhro,   '  the  point  of 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  345 

the  upper  end  of  the  axle  is  a  deep  groove,  twelve  inches 
long,  in  which  moves  an  oaken  wedge  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  or  lowering  the  small  upper  mill-stone,  so  as  to  cause 
it  to  grind  courser  or  finer.  The  whole  mechanism  was 
supported  by  a  stone  gudgeon  secui-ed  by  a   wedge  at  the 

the  mill '  which  fits  into  a  hole  sunk  in  a  piece  of  hard  wood — cross- 
an-hhro,  '  the  cross  of  the  mill,'  This  crosses  on  the  under-side  the 
hopper-hole  of  the  upper-stone  and  is  fitted  into  two  little  receptacles 
cut  out  of  the  under-side  of  the  upper-stone,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
hopper-hole,  so  that  the  surface  of  the  cross-an-bhro  is  level  with  the 
under  surface  of  the  upper-stone.  The  upper-stone  is  then  placed 
with  its  cross  resting  on  the  punt  and  turns  round  on  it  with  facility. 
On  the  outer  surface  and  near  the  edge  of  the  upper-stone  is  sunk  a 
hole  to  receive  the  end  of  a  stick  about  6  inches  long,  the  lamk-chrann 
'  the  hand  stick,'  with  which  the  grinder  easily  gives  a  circular  motion 
to  the  upper-stone  with  one  hand  while  with  the  other  he  pours  into 
the  hopper- hole  grain  previously  dried  in  a  pot.  The  meal  comes  out 
at  the  edges  of  the  stones  and  falls  on  a  cloth  placed  under  the  quern. 
The  fineness  of  the  meal  is  regulated  by  increasing  or  decreasing  the 
distance  between  the  stones,  which  is  effected  by  placing  or  removing 
a  piece  of  leather  from  the  top  of  the  punt.  A  still  simpler  contriv- 
ance for  grinding,  a  flat  stone  called  a  Grain-Rubber,  is  frequently 
found  and  is  to  be  seen  in  nearly  every  collection  of  Irish  Antiquities. 
Pliny  (Book  18.  chap.  10),  describes  the  process  used  in  Etruria  of 
first  roasting  the  grain  and  then  pounding  it  with  a  pestle  and  mortar. 
Martin  in  his  Western  Islands  of  Scotland,  written  in  1703,  describes 
a  way  of  dressing  corn  which  was  then  used  in  several  isles — "  A 
woman,  sitting  down,  takes  a  handful  of  corn,  holding  it  by  the 
stalks  in  her  left  hand,  and  then  sets  fire  to  the  ears,  which  are 
presently  in  a  flame.  She  has  a  stick  in  her  right  hand,  which  she 
manages  very  dextereously,  beating  off  the  grain  at  the  very  instant 
when  the  husk  is  quite  burnt,  for  if  she  miss  of  that  she  must  use  the 
kiln,  but  experience  has  taught  them  this  art  to  perfection.  Tlie  corn 
may  be  so  dressed,  winnowed,  ground,  and  baked  within  an  hour  after 
reaping  from  the  ground. "  In  The  Irish  Hudibras  a  satrical  poem 
printed  in  London,  in  1689,  intended  to  ridicule  the  old  Irish  of 
Ulster,  they  are  described  in  allusion  to  this  custom  as — 
Yoking  bobbies  by  the  tail 
And  threshing  corn  with  fiery  flail. 
A  statute  of  Charles  I.  directs  that  no  person  shall  burn  corn  or  grain 


346  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

foot  of  the  axle.  This  gudgeon  revolved  in  a  hole  wrought 
in  another  stone  firmly  embedded  at  the  edge  of  the  stream. 
The  height  of  the  wheel  iand  the  axle  is  6  feet  6  inches. 

The  townland  of  Manister  was  named  from  a  monastery 
which  stood  in  the  farm  of  John  M'A  lister.  The  foundations 
were  removed  in  1760  and  there  is  not  at  present  a  trace  of 
it.  About  40  perches  to  the  east  of  it  there  was  an  earthen 
mound — probably  a  funereal  mound,  which  has  also  been 
removed.  In  Carnkirn  there  was  formerly  a  cairn  of  stones 
which  was  called  the  Rowan-Tree  Cairn.  That  cairn  gave 
name  to  the  townland — Carn-Caorthainn  (pronounced  Carn- 
Keerin) — •'  the  rowan-tree  cam.'  Not  a  trace  of  it  now 
remains.  In  Lismorrity,  at  about  20  yards  north  of  the 
Paper  Mill  stream,  there  is  a  small  cairn  consisting  of  about 
three  cart  loads  of  small  stones.  It  stands  at  the  edge  of  a 
Holy  Well,  named  Toberann,  at  which  Stations  were  formerly 
l)erforraed.  Near  it  there  was  the  stump  of  an  old  tree  to 
which  rags  and  other  things  were  attached,  when  the  stump 
was  removed,  another  tree  was  planted  which  was  used  for 
similar  purposes,  but  it  also  has  disappeared.  It  is  popularly 
believed  that  a  friar  is  interred  beneath  the  cairn,  but  it  is 
more  probable  that  the  earn  has  been  formed  by  the  stones 
cast  on  it  by  the  pilgrims  when  performing  the  station. 
About  100  perches  north  of  it  there  was  formerly,  on  a  hill, 
an  ancient  graveyard  used  for  the  interment  of  children  and 
beggars,  but  it  is  now  destroyed,  A  fort  in  this  townland 
which  gave  name  to  it  was  destroyed  in  1822;  in  it  was  found 
a  bronze  pot  capable  of   holding    three   pints ;    it  was  very 

in  the  straw  under  pain  of  imprisonment  for  ten  days.  What  a 
wonderful  contrast  between  the  rude  qrain-ruhber  of  our  earliest  fore- 
fathers and  the  powerful  steel  cylindrical  grain-crushers  in  Mr. 
Hughes's  great  flour-mills,  Belfast,  which  are  capable  of  grinding  one 
hundred  tons  ot  wheat  in  the  twenty-four  hours  ! 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  347 

narrow  at  the  mouth,  broad  at  the  bottom,  had  three  feet 
and  its  handle  was  straight  and  projecting  from  the  top  ;  it 
is  at  present  (1838)  in  the  possession  of  Charles  M'Cormick. 
Ancient  shoes,  methers  and  other  antiquities  have  been  found 
in  a  bog  in  this  townland.  The  remains  of  a  cairn  called 
Carnaneena  are  to  be  seen  in  the  farm  of  John  and  Archy 
M'Afee,  in  Carrowreagh.  It  is  seated  on  the  top  of  a  hill 
60  perches  N.E.  of  the  Armoy  and  Ballintoy  road ;  it  is  18 
feet  in  diameter,  but  only  the  lower  course  of  it  remains,  for 
a  dyke,  that  runs  through  the  middle  of  it,  was  formed  from 
its  stones.     See  Ordnance  Mem.  MS. 

CHURCHES. 

In  times  of  persecution  Mass  used  to  be  said  in  a  hollow 
near  the  summit  of  Cioaghmore,  the  highest  hill  in  the  parish. 
The  spot  is  to  this  day  named  Lag-an-aifrinn — '  the  hollow 
of  the  Mass.'  Father  Murray  is  mentioned  in  the  popular 
traditions  as  one  of  the  priests  who  celebrated  Mass  on 
Croaghmore.  In  the  beginning  of  this  century  Mass  was 
celebrated  in  the  house  of  Daniel  Stewart,  which  at  present 
belongs  to  Daniel  Getty  in  Kilmoyle.  There  are  two  fields 
in  the  farm  of  Neal  M 'Clean  which  are  called  the  '  Altar- 
Fields.'  Mass  used  also  to  be  celebrated  in  the  farm,  in 
Kilmahamogue,  at  present  occupied  by  John  M'Kendry.  It 
was  celebrated  at  first  on  a  table  at  the  side  of  a  turf  stack, 
and  afterwards  in  the  dwelling  house. 

The  little  church  at  Ballinlea  was  erected  in  1816,  by 
Father  Patrick  O'Neill,  on  a  plot  of  ground  22  perches  in 
extent,  which  he  obtained  at  the  rent  of  2/6  per  annum. 

The  Church  of  Ballintoy  was  erected  by  Father  Magoi-rian. 
It  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  under  the  invocation  of  the 
Blessed  Yirgin  and  St.  Joseph,  on  the  18th  of  August,  1878. 


348  DIOCESE    OP   CONNOR. 

The  sermon  on  the  occasion  was  preached  by  Dr.  M'Cabe, 
Bishop  of  Gadara,  (afterwards  Cardinal  Arch-bishop  of 
Dublin.)  * 

PARISH     PHIESTS. 

The  parish  of  Ballintoy  was  united  to  Armoy,  until  the 
resignation  of  that  parish  by  Father  Patrick  M'Cartan,  when 
Father  Peter  M'Gorrian  was  appointed,  on  the  2nd  of  April, 
1872,  Parish  Priest  of  Ballintoy  and  Administrator  of  Armoy; 
the  latter  parish  was  conferred  on  Father  Carrol,  in  July, 
1873. 

The  Rev.  Peter  M'Gorrian  was  born  in  Bally kinlar, 
August]! 0th,  1841 ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered 
the  Rhetoric  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  in  1861  ;  was 
ordained  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  in  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  November 
1st,  1866 — the  first  ordination  in  that  church — appointed 
C.C.,  Newtownards,  in  December,  1866;  C.C.,  St.  Peter's, 
Belfast,  May  1st,  1868;  C.C,  St.  Malachy's,  Belfast,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1868;  from  which  he  was  appointed  Parish  Priest 
of  Ballintoy,  on  the  2nd  of  April,  1872  ;  he  purchased  the 
Parochial  Farm  in  the  townlaud  of  Maghernahar  and  erected 
the  School  and  the  Church  of  Ballintoy.  In  May,  1882,  he 
was  appointed  to  the  parish  of  Ballygalget. 

Father  John  Rogers  succeeded  Father  M'Gorrian.     He  was 

*  In  1881  there  were  in  the  civil  parish  of  Ballintoy  315  Catholics 
(about  15  of  whom  were  in  the  part  of  Coolmaghra  which  is  attached 
to  the  Catholic  parish  of  Ramoan)  and  2,798  Protestants.  The 
Protestant  Minister  in  his  Return,  in  1766,  to  the  House  of  Lords  gives 
the  names  and  residences  of  77  Catholic  heads  of  families  and  of  374 
Protestants,  heads  of  families,  belonging  to  this  parish.  In  188], 
there  were  in  the  Grange  of  UrumtuUagh  75  Catholics  and  892 
Protestants.  In  the  supposition  that  there  were  60  Catholics  in  the 
part  of  Derrykeighau  attached  to  the  Catholic  parish  of  Ballintoy  the 
total  Catholic  population  of  that  parish  amounted  then  to  410. 


THE  PARISH  OF  BALLINTOY.  349 

born  in  the  townland  of  Aghlisnafin,  parish  of  Kilmegaa,  in 
February,  1842  j  entered  the  Diocesan  College,  in  August, 
1869  ;  entered  the  College  of  Soissons,  France,  early  in  1875  ; 
was  ordained  by  Dr.  Dorrirtn,  in  St.  Patrick's,  Belfast, 
November  4th,  1877,  was  appointed  C.C,  Culfeightrin  ; 
was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  the  Island  of  Rathlin  in  July 
1878  ;  was  appointed  C.C,  Loughguile,  in  April,  1879  ;  was 
Hppointed  to  the  parish  of  Ballintoy,  in  May,  1882.  He  died 
within  a  few  days  after  his  appointment.  The  Belfast 
Morning  News,  of  May  18th,  1882,  says  of  him  : — *'  Deceased 
was  loved  and  respected  in  every  parish  where  he  ministered ; 
his  end  was  like  his  life — heroic.  Called  on  the  evening  of 
Tuesday  last  to  attend  a  dying  person  in  his  parish,  an  old 
complaint,  from  which  he  had  long  suffered,  came  upon  him 
while  on  his  mission  of  mercy.  He  vomited  his  life's  blood 
and  fell  dead  on  the  roadside  (in  the  townland  of  Clegnagh), 
another  martyr  to  duty."  His  remains  were  interred  in  the 
churchyard  of  Aghlishnafin,  and  the  granite  cross  erected 
over  his  grave  bears  the  following  inscription  : — 
Erected 

by 

A  few 

Clerical  friends  as  a 

Tribute  to  the  high  character 

And  many  virtues  of 

The  Rev.  John  Rogers 

Late  P  P  Ballintoy 

Who  died  16th  May  1882 

Aged  39  years 

Requiescat  in  Pace. 

The  Rev.  David  B.  Mulcahy,  the  present  Parish  Priest, 
succeeded  Father  Rogers,  Father  Mulcahy  was  born  in 
April,  1832,  in  the  townland  of  Kilkeany,  parish  of  Seskinan, 
Co.  Waterford  ;  after  studying  at  Mount  Melleray  and  other 


350  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

places  lie  entered  St.  John's  College,  Waterford,  in  September, 
1862  ;  was  ordained  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  St.  Malachy's,  Belfast, 
October  10th,  1869  ;  appointed  CO.,  Ballymacarrett,  October 
24th,  1869;  CO.,  Saintfield,  December  17th,  1870;  C.C, 
Ballymacarrett,  March  11th,  1871  ;  CO.,  Loughguile,  March 
10th,  1872  ;  CO.,  Portglenone,  August,  1875  ;  C.C,  Lisburn 
in  February,  1876;  C.C,  Ballynafeigh,  November,  24th, 
1878,  from  which  he  was  appointed  to  the  parish  of 
Ballintoy,  on  the  26th  of  May,  1882. 

*  Father  Mulcahy  has  a  very  extensive  knowledge  of  the  Irish 
language  and  is  a  diligent  student  of  the  history  and  antiquities  of 
his  country. 

The  site  of  the  Church  at  Gracehill,  in  MuUaghduff,  mentioned  in 
p.  130  as  being  in  the  Catholic  parish  of  Ballymoney,  is  in  the 
Catholic  parish  of  Ballintoy.  On  a  high  hill  in  Carnkirn,  nearly 
opposite  to  the  site  of  the  Church,  was  a  castle  said  to  have  belonged 
to  a  chieftain  named  O'Quin.  This  castle  Is  named  by  mistake  the 
castle  of  Carnrighe  in  the  McDonnell  Manuscripts.  It  was  here 
Gillaspic,  son  of  Colla  M'Donnell,  was  fostered  by  O'Quin,  and  he 
afterwards  married  the  daughter  of  his  fosterer. 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN. 


RATHLIN  is  mentioned  by  Pliny,  (Nat.  Hist.  Lib.  IV.) 
under  the  name  Ricina,  and  in  Ptolemy's  Geography 
it  occurs  under  the  same  name.  It  is  obvious  that 
the  Greek  as  well  as  the  Latin  author  was  only  approximating 
the  Celtic  name  of  the  island,  which  in  its  oldest  fox-m 
was  Reachrain  •  a  name  applied  by  the  Irish  to  several 
of  their  islands.  The  Four  Masters,  at  the  year  1121, 
mention  the  island  "  Raicrenn"  which  the  context  clearly 
shows  was  in  Lough  Neagh,  and  seems  to  have  been  Ram's 
Island.  (See  Vol.  II,  p.  305).  At  1542,  they  also  mention 
Reachrain  muintre  Birn  hi  IHrhoghaine,  now  Rathlin  O'Birne, 
off  the  coast  of  the  county  of  Donegal,  but  the  island  most 
frequently  mentioned  under  that  name  by  our  annalists  and 
ecclesiastical  writers  is  what  is  now  called  Lambay — off  the 
coast  of  the  county  of  Dublin.  Ussher  (Brit.  Ecc.  Antiq.  c. 
17),  says  that  the  name  is  written  by  Irish  antiquarians 
Ro-chrinne,  and  that  it  is  so  named  from  the  trees  (Chrann), 
with  which  it  formex'ly  abounded,  but,  as  the  Danish  inhab- 
itants of  the  county  of  Dublin  translated  Reachrainn,  the 
name  of  the  island  off  their  coast  into  Lambay — "  Lamb 
Island" — and  the  name  of  the  island  in  Lough  Neagh  was 
translated  Ram's  Island,  the  translators  certainly  were 
convinced  that  the  Irish  word  Reithe — "  a  ram" — (pro- 
nounced Rehey,  a-kin  to  the  Greek  K-rios,  Latin  a-ries  and 
even  the  English  ram),  was  the  first  sylable  of  the  name. 


352  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

We  might  therefore  venture  to  translate  the  name  into  Ram's 
Island,  and  to  surmise  that  it  was  so  named  from  the  richness 
of  its  pastures.  In  more  modern  Irish  the  name  assumes  the 
form  Rachlainn.  The  Irish  Nennius  says  "  The  Firbolg  seized 
upon  Mann  and  certain  islands  in  like  manner,  Ara,Ili  (Islay), 
and  Rachra,"  which,  if  we  credit  O'Flagherty's  chronology, 
occurred  about  thirty  years  before  the  Argonantic  expedition 
— an  event  sufficiently  remote  to  gratify  the  insular  pride  of 
the  most  fastidious  native  of  Rathlin.  The  early  history  of 
the  island  is,  however,  completely  unknown,  and  its  name 
unconnected  with  any  historical  event,  until  the  times  of 
St.  Comgall  of  Bangor;  it,  however,  is  the  scene  of  some 
events  related  in  bardic  stories  as  having  occurred  about  the 
Christian  Era.  In  the  tale  called  Deirdri,*  she  advises  the 
sons  of  Usnach  to  go  to  Rachlainn  itir  Eirin  acas  Alhain — 
Rachlin  between  Eire  and  Alba.t 

*A  synopsis  of  this  tale  will  be  given  when  treating  of  the  parish 
of  Culfeightrin. 

"f-The  island  in  ancient  times  made  a  stage  in  the  voyage  between 
Scotland  and  Ireland.  In  the  ancient  Irish  tale  entitled  Tochmarc 
Eimhire — '  the  courtship  of  Eimir'— it  is  related  that  the  great  Ulster 
champion,  Cuchulainn,  having  finished  his  military  education  at  the 
school  of  the  lady  Scathach,  in  Scotland,  returned  home  by  way  of 
Ceann  Tire—  '  the  Land's  Head' — now  Cantire,  and  stayed  for  a  time 
in  Reclirainn,  where  he  met  with  an  incident  which  somewhat  reminds 
us  of  the  story  of  Perseus  and  Andromeda. 

On  landing  in  the  island  CuchuUainn  was  surprised  to  find  a 
beautiful  lady  sitting  alone  on  the  beach.  She  informed  him  that 
she  was  the  daughter  of  the  king  of  Rechrainn  ;  that  her  father  was 
compelled  every  year  to  pay  a  large  tribute  to  the  Fomorians  pirates  ; 
that  this  year  failing  to  procure  the  stipulated  amount,  he  was 
ordered  to  place  her,  his  only  daughter,  at  the  harbour,  and  that 
before  night  she  would  be  carried  off  by  the  Fomorians.  While  they 
were  speaking  three  fierce  warriors  landed  in  the  bay,  and  hastened 
to  the  spot  where  they  knew  the  lady  awaited  them.  They  had, 
however,  to  encounter  Cuchulainn,  who  slew  them  all,  but,  received 


THE  ISLAND  OP  KATHLm.  353 

The  earliest  record  of  Rathlin,  in  Christian  times,  occurs 
in  the  Life,  of  St.  Comgall  of  Bangor,  where  it  is  mentioned 
that  he  landed  on  the  island  of  Reachrainn,  for  the  purpose 
of  seeking  there  a  solitary  retreat,  but  he  was  seized  by  a 
band  of  thirty  military  men,  and  forcibly  conveyed  out  of 
the  island : — •'  Cum  sanctus  Comgallus  cellam  voluisset 
sedificare  in  insula  nomine  Reachrain  venerunt  triginta 
milites  et  tenentes  manum  ejus,  eum  inde  expulerunt." 
Fleming,  Collectan.  p.  311.  Codex  Kilken.  fol.  93,  6.  The 
saint,  however,  seems  to  have  effected  his  purpose;  for, 
according  to  the  tradition  of  the  islanders,  the  church,  which 
formerly  stood  on  the  site  at  present  occupied  by  the 
Protestant  Church,  was  dedicated  under  his  invocation,  and 
the  rectorial  tithes  of  the  island  belonged  to  his  successors, 
the  abbots  of  Bangor,  until  the  suppression  of  that  abbey. 
From  the  expulsion  of  St.  Comgall,  the  island  completely 
disappears  from  history,  until  after  the  English  invasion, 
for  the  various  entries,  that  occur  in  the  ancient  annals,  refer 


ia  his  arm  a  slight  wound,  which  the  maiden  tied  up  with  a  part  of 
her  costly  robe.  She  then  ran  joyously  to  her  father,  and  related 
what  had  occurred  ;  but,  she  could  give  no  particular  account  of  her 
deliverer.  He  communicated  the  happy  tidings  to  his  people,  who 
with  the  strangers  and  visitors  at  his  court,  thronged  around  him 
with  their  congratulations,  and  Ouchulainn  among  the  rest.  The 
king  led  the  way  to  the  customary  ablutions  before  the  feast,  in 
which  he  was  followed  by  his  household  and  visitors,  several  of  whom 
were  now  boasting  that  they  were  the  rescuers  of  the  princess  ;  but, 
when  Cuchulainn  bared  his  arm,  she  at  once  identified  her  deliverer. 
The  king  in  gratitude  now  made  a  formal  offer  of  his  daughter  and 
her  fortune  to  her  deliverer.  Cuchulainn  was,  however,  pre-engaged 
and  bidding  farewell  to  his  friends  in  the  island  of  Rechrainn,  he 
returned  to  Emania,  where  he  was  joyfully  received  by  King  Connor, 
and  the  Knights  of  the  Royal  Branch,  and  shortly  afterwards  wedded 
the  lady  Elmer,  for  whose  sake  he  had  encountered  so  many  perils. 
See  0' Curry's  MS.  Materials  ^f  Irish  History. 

X 


354  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

to  other  islands  which  bore  the  same  name.  Rathlin  after 
that  date  formed  a  part  of  the  immense  possessions  of  the 
Earls  of  Ulster,  but,  when  King  John  came  to  Carrickfergus 
to  punish  the  rebellion  of  De  Lacy,  he  gave  Rathlin  as  one 
of  the  appendant  districts  to  Alan,  Earl  of  Galloway.  This 
grant  was  confirmed  in  1215  and  1220 — (Hardy's  Rot.  Tur. 
Londinen.)  The  Eai'ls  of  Ulster,  however,  again  obtained 
possession  of  it,  and  when  John  Bisset  was  oatlawed  for  the 
murder,  at  Haddington,  of  Patrick,  son  of  Thomas,  of 
Galloway,  in  1242,  he  fled  to  Ireland,  where  he  obtained 
from  the  Earl  of  Ulster  the  Glynns  and  Rathlin.  In  1279, 
it  was  found  by  Inquisition,  that  John  Byset,  son  and  heir 
of  John,  held  Rachry,  in  capite,  of  Richard  de  Burgo,  son  of 
Walter,  and  its  value  was  rated  at  £4  8s,  5d.  Robert 
Bruce  during  the  ebb  of  his  fortunes,  after  the  disastrous 
battle  of  Methven,  sought  a  hiding  place  with  Angus  Oge 
MacDonnell,  in  his  castles  of  Sandel  and  Dunaverty,  and, 
when  at  last  even  these  became  unsafe,  the  distinguished 
fugitive  crossed  the  channel  to  Rathlin.  In  the  spring  of 
1306  he  had  been  crowned  king  at  Scone,  but,  the  fortune 
of  war  so  turned  against  him,  that  in  the  autumn  of 
that  year  he  was  forced  to  yield  to  the  solicitations  of  his 
trusty  friend,  the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  and  seek  a  more  secure 
asylum  in  the  rugged  and  solitaiy  island.  A  select  band  of 
three  hundred  hardy  warriors,  besides  distinguished  personal 
friends,  was — 

"The  rebellious  Scottish  crew, 
Who  to  Eath-Erin's  shelter  drew. 
With  Carrick's  outlawed  chief." 

Lord  of  the  Isles. 

It  is  probable  that  at  that  period  the  island  was  owned  by 
John,  Lord    Bissett,  a  rebellious   Anglo-Irish  Baron,  who 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  355 

afterwards  went  over  to  Scotland,  returned  with  Edward 
Bruce's  invading  fleet,  and  led  it  to  anchor  in  Glendun  ;  or 
to  his  namesake  Sir  Hugh,  who  for  aiding  Priuce  Edward 
forfeited  the  Manor  of  Glenarm.  Barbour's  poem,  Tlie  Brus, 
informs  us  in  quaint  and  almost  unintelligible  language, 
that  the  patriotic  king  set  sail  fi'om  Dunavertie,  with  a 
numerous  fleet  of  galleys  ''  towart  Rauchryne." 

That  is  ane  ile  ia  the  se 

And  may  weill  in  myd  watter  be 

Betwix  Kyntir  and  Ireland 

Quhar  als  gret  stremys  ar  rynnand 

And  als  peralous  and  mair. 
Barbour  also  informs  us  that  the  islanders  were  panic- 
struck  at  the  sight  of  so  formidable  a  host ;  the  women 
rushed  about  almost  in  a  frantic  state,  assisting  the  men  to 
collect  their  cattle  and  drive  them  for  safety  to  a  "  rycht 
stalwart  castell."  Bruce  soon,  however,  dispelled  their 
fears,  assuring  them  that  these  were  not  enemies  bent 
on  plunder,  but  friends  in  distress  come  to  seek  the  shelter 
of  their  island.  He  took  up  his  abode  in  the  "  rycht 
stalwart  castell,"  the  ruins  of  which  still  bear  his  name. 
Here  the  exiled  king  spent  the  winter  months  of  1306. 
"  With  the  return  of  spring,"  says  Sir  "Walter  Scott,  *'  hope 
and  the  spirit  of  enterprise  again  inspired  the  dauntless 
heart  of  Robert  Bruce."  It  was  agreed  that  Douglas,  Sir 
Robert  Boyd,  and  some  others  should  sail  for  Arran,  and 
endeavour  to  ascertain  the  state  of  afiairs  in  that  island. 
Arrived  there  they  repulsed  the  English  soldiers  that  were 
sent  to  intercept  them,  and  ten  days  afterwards,  while  still 
waiting  for  the  appointed  signal  from  the  mainland,  to  tell 
them  that  the  time  was  favourable  for  military  operations, 
they  were  joined  by  Bruce,  and  the  rest  of  his  company,  who 
could  no  longer  remain  inactive  in  Rathlin.     The  island  was 


356  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

never  again  revisited  by  Bruce,  but,  to  this  day,  its  inhabit- 
ants are  proud  that  Rathlin  sheltered  in  his  distress  a  hero 
who  has  SO  indelibly  written  his  name  on  the  pages  of 
history. 

In  1319  Edward  II.  granted  to  Sir  John  de  Athy  the 
Island  of  Rughrie,  which  had  been  forfeited  by  Hugh  Bisset, 
for  aiding  Bruce.  It  is  not  known  how  the  Bissets  again 
re-possessed  themselves  of  their  estates  in  the  County  of 
Antrim  ;  but  it  is  certain  that  they  did  so,  and  continued 
in  possession  until  the  end  of  the  14th  century  when  John 
M'Eoin  Bisset,  the  fifth  in  descent  from  the  first  settler, 
perished  in  an  afi'ray  with  some  of  the  English  barons  in  the 
neighbourhood.  The  marriage  of  John  Mor  MacDonnell 
with  Margery,  daughter  and  heiress  of  that  Bisset,  constituted, 
for  him  and  his  descendants,  a  right  to  the  island,  which  they 
preferred  to  vindicate  by  claymore  and  battle-axe,  rather 
than  by  charter  and  parchment.  "  In  the  year  1551,"  says 
Mr.  Hill,  "  the  Clan  Donnell  banner  waved  triumphantly 
over  Route  and  Glynns ;  it  had  been  carried  even  into 
Clannaboy,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Neills,  and  spoils,  it  was 
believed  by  the  English,  of  great  value,  variety,  and  extent, 
had  been  taken  by  the  Soots  from  the  latter  territory,  and 
stored  in  the  Island  of  Rathlin."  The  Council  in  Dublin, 
having  taken  into  eonsideration  the  best  means  for  checking 
these  outrages,  a  formidable  expedition  with  the  deputy.  Sir 
James  Crofts,  at  its  head,  marched  into  Ulster,  and  four 
large  ships,  filled  with  soldiers,  were  sent  into  the  North 
Channel.  The  results  of  this  expedition  are  told  in  a  letter 
written  by  Sir  Thomas  Cusake  to  the  Earl  of  Warwick — 

"  The  nexte  morowe  certain  prisoners  of  the  Skottes  were  brought 
before  my  Lord,  who  told  his  Lordship  that  James  M'Oonnyll  and 
his  breathern,  with  a  nomber  of   Skottis  were  all  togidder  in  the 


THE  ISLAND  OP  KATHLIN,  357 

Island  of  Raghlin,  and  had  with  them  the  mooste  parte  of  all  the 
praies  of  kyne  and  garrans  that  VI  dales  befoie  were  taken  by 
them  out  of  Claneboy,  and  for  that  the  same  Island  was  scant 
from  the  land  iv  myles  by  sea,  and  that  there  was  at  the  same 
place  tow  barkes  and  tow  small  galleys  that  thai  dud  take  from  the 
Skottes  vi  dales  before.  The  Captaynes  of  the  footemen  was  mooste 
willing  to  be  set  a  land  with  iii  or  iv  hondreth  men,  as  well  to  revenge 
themself  upon  the  people  for  invading  the  kingis  lande  and  destroying 
his  MaWea  people,  as  to  seik  their  praies,  consideringe  that  James 
M'Connyll  and  his  brethren  destroid  in  effect  all  Claneboy  and 
M'Quillin's  contre,  and  banyshed  a  sept  of  gentlemen  out  of  their 
contrie  named  Alexander  Carraghes  sonnes,  men  which  served  the 
kingis  Matie  trewlie  ;  and  besydes  the  same  from  Marketown  (Bally- 
castle)  to  Glenarme  put  under  themselfe,  wherein  thai  dud  dwell  as 
quiet  as  in  Skotlande,  and  had  good  occupynge  of  corne  and  cattaill  in 
the  same.  So  as  thai  had  under  occupying  aboue  xxx  myles,  whereby 
thai  gate  the  stringth  of  O'Cahan,  M'Collyen,  and  all  Claneboy,  and 
putt  all  the  captaynes  and  gentlemen  in  thoise  partes  of  the  Northe 
to  ber  them  trybute  and  yerelie  rent,  which  was  paied  to  them 
yerelie,  and  had  no  men  of  warre  in  bonnaght  in  thoise  contres  when 
oon  of  them  dud  warre  upon  the  other  but  such  Skottes  as  James  and 
his  brethren  dud  send  them.  Soe  as  betwixt  M'Collyns  howse 
(Dunluce)  and  Bealfarst  was  obedient  to  his  cesse  of  Skottes,  which  is 
or  Ix  myles.  Then  my  Lord  Deputie  perceaving  the  willinge 
myndes  of  the  Captynes  and  souldiers,  and  their  peticions  in  that 
behalf  and  alsoe  consyderinge  the  losse  of  the  Kingis  Itlaties  lande  and 
people,  beinge  moost  desirous  soe  to  have  the  same  avengid  as  no 
daunger  might  insue,  sent  for  the  maisters  and  captaynes  of  the 
barkes  to  him,  to  know  how  many  men  thai  moght  land  at  oon  tyme 
in  the  Hand,  who  telt  his  Lordship  not  passe  Ic.  And  then  my  Lord 
being  mooste  iooth  to  adventure  the  losse  of  his  men  in  such  sorte, 
concluded  that  thai  shold  goo  soe  many  by  the  coast  to  the  place, 
whereas  the  same  James  his  gallees  laie  at  Roode  ;  and  if  thai  could 
bring  the  gallees  with  them,  then  thai  moght  land,  Vc  at  a  tyme, 
whereby  thai  should  atchue  their  interprise  at  their  pleasure  without 
daunger.  And  if  thai  could  not  come  by  their  gallees  afioate.  that 
thai  shold  not  launde  in  no  wise,  to  bring  them,  unless  thai  could 
perfectlie  perceave  that  the  Skottis  wolde  yielde  and  retorne  backe 
from  the  daunger  of  the  schippis  gonne  schott.  And  soe  his 
Lordschip  and  we  all  concluded  to  doe,  with  the  advise  of  the 
captaynes.    After  which  determinacyon,  Sr  Raulf  Bagnall  and  Captayne 


358  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

CuflFe  determyned  to  advaunce  forwarde  with  thre  hondreth  souldiera 
gonners,  and  part  archers,  towards  the  island.  Then  my  Lord 
eftsones  declared  unto  them  his  former  conclusion,  prohibiting  them 
in  no  wise  to  launde,  but  to  keape  their  boates  ailoate  in  eschewinge 
daunger  of  losse  of  men,  and  if  by  that  meanes  they  coulde  come  by 
their  gallees  then  to  bring  them  from  thence,  if  not  to  retorne, 
onless  they  colde  perceave  that  they  colde  come  by  them 
without  daunger.  Whereuppone  they  take  shippinge,  and  comeinge 
nighe  the  Hand,  Mr,  lieftenaunte  and  Captayne  Cuflfe  went 
boothe  in  oon  boate  with  certayne  souldiers  with  thaim  to  the 
nomber  of  xxx,,  and  iii.  or  iiii.  boates  more  furnyshed  with  lyke  men. 
And  as  the  boate  where  the  lieftenaunte  and  Cuffe  was  approachide 
nighe  the  place  wher  their  gallees  wer,  they  sawe  their  gallees  drawen 
to  drie  land.  Soe  they  coulde  not  come  by  them  without  daunger, 
and  sawe  a  nomber  of  Skottea  towards  the  same  place,  whiche  did  not 
yelde  nor  retier  for  anie  greate  gonne  shott  that  was  shott  out  of  the 
shippes.  And  whiles  the  lieftenaunte  were  thus  beholdinge  the  same, 
a  soddaine  sourde  (surge)  of  the  sea  came  at  an  ebb  and  sett  their 
boate  upon  the  rockes.  Soe  as  after  thai  could  not  come  thense,  but 
abide  the  hazarde,  and  then  as  many  as  were  in  that  boate  wer 
drowned  and  slayne  to  the  nomber  of  xxv.,  and  the  lieftenaunte, 
Captayne  Cuffe,  and  two  more  taken  prisoners.  Soe  as  all  this  came 
through  misfortune,  assuring  your  honor  that  ther  coulde  noe 
governour  sett  forthe  men  more  discreatlie  and  wise  than  my  Lord 
dud,  and  for  as  goode  a  cause  and  purpose  as  ever  men  was  sent. 
And  thankes  be  to  God,  save  onely  for  the  losse  of  our  men,  there  h 
suche  good  successe  to  foUowe,  as  the  Skottes  will  noe  more  attempte 
to  inhabite  Irlande. 

And  then  James  M'Conill  sent  to  my  lord,  that  he  never  knew 
that  anie  deputie  was  in  Irlande  before  nowe,  meaninge  that  he 
thocht  that  noe  deputie  wolde  hev  travailed  soe  ferre  in  such  a 
wyldernes  and  desart  places  wher  as  noe  governour  went  with  men 
sence  the  conquest,  that  anie  man  may  remember,  soe  as  the  same 
jorney  is  right  notable,  by  the  which  ther  doo  natoorely  insue  greate 
quietues  to  the  contre  but  alsoe  profitt  to  the  kiugis  Matie,  besydes 
the  wynninge  of  subjectes  and  bannesinge  of  euemyes,  which  will  not 
be  oute  of  remimbrans  in  Irlande.  Alsoe,  the  same  James,  after  the 
killinge  of  the  men  and  takeinge  of  the  prisoners,  dud  likewise  send  to 
my  Lord  Deputie  lettres  that  he  wolde  inlardge  the  prisoners,  and 
restore  all  suche  armour  and  goodes  as  was  taken  from  thaim;  and  that 
his  brethren  beinge  suffrid  to  dwelle  in  the  landes  wher  they  dud 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  359 

inhabite  in  Irlande,  sholde  berre  and  yelde  with  the  kingis  Matie,  and 
doe  his  grace  service,  bot  yett  of  ther  comeinge  again  to  the  lande, 
my  Lorde  and  we  wolde  in  no  wise  condiscende.  Then  my  Lord  sent 
onto  hym  that  onles  he  dud  inlardgethe  prisoners,  and  retorne  ther 
armour  aud  goodes,he  wolde  complayne  to  the  kingis  Matie,  and  certifie 
the  governour  of  Skotlande  of  his  evil  demeanour  in  this  behalfe. 
Soe  as  at  the  writinge  hereof,  Mr.  lieftenauute  went  to  Dublin,  to 
my  Lord  Deputie,  and  the  reste  be  inlardged,  and  what  furder  conclu- 
sion is  taken  upon  ther  enlardginge  as  yett,  I  doe  not  knowe,  beinge 
assured  the  Lord  Deputie,  will  certifye  your  good  Lordship  the  fulle 
flfecte  thairoflf.  All  such  corne  as  the  same  Skottes  had  in  those  partes, 
which  was  more  than  all  Clanneboy  had,  my  lord  destroid  in  effect,  soe 
as  men  reporte,  the  mooste  trust  that  James  and  his  breathren  had  for 
provicou  of  come  was  in  the  same  ;  and  also  Coll  M'Connyll,  seconde 
brother  to  James,  had  a  stronge  casill  buylded  upon  a  rock,  with  a 
strong  baan  (bawn)  of  lyme  and  stoon,  over  the  sea,  named  the  castill 
of  Keanbaau,  which  my  Lorde  causid  to  be  defaced,  and  brake 
much  parte  thairof,  so  as  nowe  it  is  not  defensible,  whiche  I  am  sure 
thai  neid  had  for  so  muche  more  displeasir  doon  to  thaim. 

From  Lessmoolin,  the  27th  September,  155L" — Public  Record 
Office,  London,  Irish  Correspondence,  1551,  vol.  iii.,  No.  52. 

Chancellor  Cusake  here  endeavours  to  conceal,  as  far  as 
possible,  the  discomfiture  which  befell  the  English,  The 
account  given  in  the  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters  is  short  and 
obviously  truthful — 

A.D.  1551.  "  A  hosting  was  made  by  the  Lord  Justice  into  Ulster 
in  the  beginning  of  autumn ;  aud  he  sent  the  crews  of  four  ships  to 
the  Island  of  Eeachrainn*  to  seek  for  plunders.  The  sons  of 
MacDonnell  of  Scotland,  James  and  CoUa  Maelduv,  were  upon  the 
island  to  protect  the  district.  A  battle  was  fought  between  them, 
in  which  the  English  were  defeated,  so  that  not  one  of  them  escaped 
to  relate  their  story,  except  their  chief,  a  lieutenant  (Bagnall),  whom 
these  Scots  took  prisoner  and  kept  in  custody,  until  they  obtained  in 
exchange  for  him  their  own  brother,  Sorley  Boy,  who  bad  been 
imprisoned  in  Dublin  by  the  English  for  the  space  of  a  year  before, 
and  another  great  ransom  along  with  him." 

The  historian.  Cox,  has  a  few  further  particulars  regarding 

*  This  is  the  only  passage  in  which  the  Island  of  Rathlin  occurs  in  The  Four 
Masters. 


360  DIOCESE    OP   CONNOR. 

that  expedition ;  but  he  misrepresents  tlie  facts  and  conceals 
the  defeat : — 

"  On  the  15tli  day  of  September  the  Lord  Deputy  shipped  his  army 
at  Dalkey,  and  sailed  to  Raghliue,  and  though  he  lost  one  ship  in  the 
storm,  yet  he  pursued  his  design,  and  took  the  island,  and  placed  a 
colony  of  a  small  garrison  in  it  ;  and  thence  he  invaded  and  wasted 
Cantire  in  Scotland.  Nor  did  the  islands  of  Arran  and  Comber  escape 
the  like  desolation,  and  he  intended  as  much  against  the  island  of  Isla, 
but  he  was  by  ill  weather  forced  to  put  in  at  Carrickfergus  ;  and  so, 
having  burnt  many  villages,  which  were  possessed  by  the  Scots  in 
Ulster,  he  returned  to  Dublin  on  the  8th  day  of  November." 

Sir  Henry  Sidney,  in  his  Memoir  of  his  Government  in 
Ireland,  relates  his  adventure  in  Ratblin  in  1557,  when  he 
accompanied  the  Earl  of  Sussex,  Lord  Deputy,  on  an 
expedition  into  Ulster  ; — 

"  The  second  journey  which  the  Earl  of  Sussex  made  into  those 
quarters  of  Ulster,  he  sent  me  and  others  into  the  island  of  Raghlyns, 
where  before,  in  the  time  of  Sir  James  Croft's  deputyship.  Sir  Ralph 
Bagnall,  Captain  Cufl'e,  and  others  sent  by  him  landed,  little  to  their 
advantage  ;  for  there  were  they  hurt  and  taken,  and  the  most  of  their 
men  that  landed  either  killed  or  taken,  but  we  landed  more  politicly 
and  safely,  and  encamped  on  the  isle  until  we  had  spoiled  the  same — 
all  mankind,  corn,  and  cattle  in  it." 

In  1565  Alexander  Oge  MacDonnell  arrived  in  Rathlin, 
from  Scotland,  with  a  body  of  900  men,  the  day  after  the 
fatal  conflict  near  Ballycastle,  in  which  his  brother  received 
such  a  terrible  defeat  from  Shane  O'Neill.  On  hearing  the  sad 
news  he  immediately  re-embarked  his  men,  and  returned  to 
Cantire.  In  the  summer  of  1568  Terence  Danyell  wrote  to 
the  Lords  Justices,  informing  them  that  "  Sorley  Boy  had 
passed  two  nights  in  the  Glynns,  cutting  wattles  to  build  in 
the  Raghlins."  The  chieftain  was  preparing  to  build 
holey-houses,  and  other  temporary  buildings,  to  accomodate 
the  numerous  guests  who  were  expected  to  assist  at  the 
wedding  of  his  sister-in-law,  the  Lady  Cantii-e,  with  Turlough 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  361 

Luineacb  O'Neill,  Earl  of  Tyrone.  Of  the  wedding  presents 
only  one  has  been  recorded,  "  A  taffatae  hatt  with  a  band  set 
with  bewgles,"  which  the  Earl  of  Argyle,  the  lady's  brother, 
sent  to  his  intended  brother-in-law  ;  but  which,  for  some 
reason  unexplained,  the  haughty  chief  of  Tyrone  declined  to 
accept.  The  marriage  was  celebrated  in  August  1569,  and 
Fitzwilliam,  the  Lord  Deputy,  writing  to  Cecil  on  the  12th 
of  September  announces,  that  Turlough  Luineach  "  was  14 
days  in  the  Raghlins,  and  there  concluded  his  marriage  with 
James  McDonnell's  late  wife."* 

The  22nd  of  July,  1575,  witnessed  in  Kathlin  one  of  the 
most  appalling  and  diabolical  massacres  that  stains  the  annals 
of  England,  and  one  which,  when  duly  reported  to  her,  was 
highly  commended  by  "the  good  Queen  Bess."  The  author 
of  this  fiendish  murder  was  Essex :  that  disappointed 
adventurer  having  discovered  that  Sorley  Boy  had  sent  part 
of  his  own  family,  and  the  wives  and  children  of  his  principal 
clansmen,  together  with  their  family  treasures,  to  the  island, 
determined  to  wreak  a  deadly  revenge  on  his  gallant  foe. 
The  proud  courtier  saw  nothing  dastardly  in  slaughtering 
women   and   children  ;  Essex  ordered  Captain  Norris,  who 

*About  half  way  between  Bruce's  Castle  and  Church  Bay  there  is  a 
mound,  having  somewhat  of  an  artificial  appearance,  flat  on  the  top, 
and  level  with  the  adjoining  ground  on  the  east ;  but  sloping 
considerably  on  the  south  and  west  sides  where  the  land  falls  lower. 
On  this  spot,  where  the  foundation  of  a  building  may  be  traced,  it  is 
commonly  believed  that  a  castle  stood  in  former  times,  and  tradition 
assigns  it  as  the  abode  of  "  a  great  lady,"  whose  garden,  in  an  adjoining 
field  is  also  pointed  out,  in  which  it  is  said  "  the  best  apple  trees  in 
the  north  of  Ireland  grew."  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Lady 
Cantire  was  the  "great  lady,"  and  that  the  scene  of  her  marriage 
festivities. — Miss  Gage's  MS.  This  lady,  in  the  most  obliging 
manner,  sent  to  the  writer  a  MS.  History  of  Rathlin,  which  one  of 
her  numerous  literary  friends  had  compiled  from  every  available 
printed  source. 


362  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

was  in  command  of  three  frigates,  lying  at  Carrickfergus,  to 
make  an  immediate  descent  on  Rachlin.  In  the  meantime, 
"  when  I  had  given  these  directions,"  he  writes  to  the  Queen, 
July  31st,  1575,  "  to  make  the  Scots  less  suspicious  of  any 
such  matter  pretended,  I  withdrew  myself  towards  the  Pale." 
On  the  20th  of  July,  Norris  appeared  off  the  island,  and  on 
the  second  day  after  his  arrival  he  landed  a  large  force,  and 
commenced  an  attack  upon  the  castle.  The  commander  of 
the  castle  fell  in  the  first  encounter,  and  the  defence  devolved 
on  the  constable,  who  soon  asked  for  a  pai-ley,  and  offered  to 
surrender  on  conditions. 

"He,"  says  Essex  in  his  despatch  to  the  Queen,  "came  out  and 
made  large  requests,  as  their  lives,  their  goods,  and  to  be  put  into 
Scotland,  which  requests  Captain  Noreys  refused,  offering  them  as 
slenderly  as  they  did  largely  require,  viz.  :  to  the  aforesaid  constable 
his  life  only,  and  his  wife's,  and  his  child's  ;  the  place  and  goods  to 
be  delivered  to  Captain  Norey's  disposition  ;  the  constable  to  be 
prisoner  one  month  ;  the  lives  of  all  within  to  stand  upon  the  courtesy 
of  the  soldiers.  The  constable,  knowing  his  estate  and  safety  to  be 
very  doubtful,  accepted  this  composition,  and  came  out  with  all  his 
company.  The  soldiers  being  moved  and  much  stirred  with  the  loss 
of  their  fellows  that  were  slain,  and  desirous  of  revenge,  made  request, 
or  rather  pressed  to  have  the  killing  of  them,  which  they  did  all, 
saving  the  persons  to  whom  life  was  promised  ;  and  a  pledge  which 
was  prisoner  in  the  castle  was  also  saved,  who  is  son  to  Alexander 
Oge  Macalister  Harry,  who  pretendeth  to  be  a  chief  of  the  Gliunes, 
which  prisoner  Sorley  Boy  held  pledged  for  his  father's  better 
obedience  unto  him.  There  were  slain  that  came  out  of  the  castle,  of 
all  sorts,  200  ;  and  presently  news  is  brought  me  out  of  Tyrone  that 
they  be  occupied  still  in  killing,  and  have  slain  that  they  have  found 
hidden  in  caves  and  cliffs  of  the  sea,  to  the  number  of  300  or  400  more. 
They  had  within  the  island  300  kine,  3000  sheep,  aud  100  stud  mares, 
and  of  bear  corn  upon  the  ground  there  is  sufficient  to  find  200  men 
for  a  whole  year." 

On  the  same  day  in  which  this  letter  was  written  to  the 
Queen,  another  was  written  by  Essex  to  the  Secretary 
Walsingham,  containing  the  following  postscript : — 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  363 

"I  do  now  understand  this  day  by  a  spy  coming  from  Sorely  Boy's 
camp,  that  upon  my  late  journey  made  against  him,  he  then  put  most 
of  his  plate,  most  of  his  children,  and  the  children  of  most  part  of  the 
gentlemen  with  him  and  their  wives,  into  the  Raghlins,  with  all  his 
pledges  (hostages),  which  he  all  taken  and  executed,  as  the  spy  sayeth, 
and  in  all  to  the  number  of  600.  Sorely  then  also  stood  upon  the 
mainland  of  the  Glynnes,  and  saw  the  taking  of  the  island,  and  was 
likely  to  run  mad  with  sorrow,  tearing  and  tormenting  himself,  as  the 
spy  sayeth,  and  saying  that  he  then  lost  all  he  ever  had."* 

The  Queen,  though  informed,  of  all  the  revolting  features 
of  the  dismal  deed,  by  Essex's  letter  to  herself,  and  by  that 
written  by  him  on  the  same  day  to  her  secretary,  was  not 
ashamed  to  write  in  answer  with  her  own  hand  to  Essex  : — 

"  If  lines  could  value  life,  or  thanks  could  answer  praise,  I  should 
esteem  my  pen's  labour  the  best  employed  time  that  many  years  had 
lent  me.  But  to  supply  the  want  that  both  these  carrieth,  a  right 
judgment  of  upright  dealing  shall  lengthen  the  scarcity  that  either  of 
the  other  wanted.  Deem,  therefore,  cousin  mine,  that  the  search  of 
your  honour,  with  the  danger  of  your  breath,  hath  not  been  bestowed 
on  so  ungrateful  a  prince  that  will  not  both  consider  the  one,  and 
reward  the  other.  Your  most  loving  cousin  and  sovereign,  E.  R. — 
Lives  of  the  Devereux,  Earls  of  Essex  Vale. 

*  Froude,  History  of  England,  says  of  this  massacre  :-  "Thej'  were  hixnted  out 
like  seals  or  otters  and  all  destroyed.  The  impression  left  on  the  mind  by  this 
horrible  story  is  increased  by  the  composure  with  which  even  the  news  of  it  was 
received.  '  Yellow-haired  Charley  '  might  tear  himself  for  '  his  pretty  little  ones  and 
their  dam  ;'  but  in  Ireland  itself  the  massacre  was  not  specially  distinguished  in  the 
general  system  of  atrocity.  Essex  described  it  himself  as  one  of  the  exploits  he  was 
most  satisfied  with,  and  Elizabeth  in  answer  to  his  letters,  bade  him  tell  John  Norris 
the  executioner,  of  his  well  designed  enterprise,  that  she  would  not  be  unmindful 
of  his  services.  But  though  passed  over  and  unheeded  at  the  time,  and  lying  buried 
for  three  hundred  years,  the  bloody  staia  comes  back  to  life  again,  not  in  myth  and 
legend,  but  in  the  original  account  of  the  nobleman  by  whose  command  the  deed 
was  done  ;  and  when  the  history  of  England's  dealings  with  Ireland  settles  at  last 
into  its  final  shape,  that  hunt  among  the  caves  of  Rathlin  will  not  be  forgotten." 

The  late  Rev.  Classon  Porter  in  a  letter  to  the  Atheiiceum  on  this  passage  says  :— 
"  To  any  one  who  has  seen  the  place  on  a  calm  summer  evening,  it  would  scarcely 
have  appeared  an  exaggeration  if  Mr.  Froude  had  said  that  Sorley  Boy,  standing  on 
the  hill  above  Bally  castle,  had  heard  the  screams  of  his  fellow-countrymen  as  they 
were  being  slaughtered  before  his  eyes  on  the  opposite  island."  The  writer  was 
informed,  that  about  fifty  years  ago,  men  named  M'Cormac  heard,  as  they  stood  on 
the  shore  of  Rathlin,  their  father,  who  was  on  Fair  Head,  calling  them  to  return 
from  the  island  because  there  was  a  storm  coming  on. 


364  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

Her  Majesty's  gratitude  for  the  inhuman  butchery  was  not 
confined  to  Essex,  it  extended  to  "the  executioner." 

"  By  your  letter  of  31st  July,  you  advertise  us  of  the  taking  of  the 
Island  of  Kaughlins,  the  common  receipt  and  harbour  of  all  such  Scots 
as  do  infest  that  realme  of  Ireland,  and  that  your  proceedings  against 
Sorley  Boy  has  taken  happy  success.  Give  the  young  gentleman, 
John  Norrice,  the  executioner  of  your  well  devised  enterprise,  to 
understand  that  we  will  not  be  unmindful  of  his  good  services. — Cal- 
Carew  MS. 

In  his  letter  to  Walsinghara,  Essex  requested  to  be  speedily 
informed  of  the  Queen's  pleasure  respecting  the  keeping  or 
giving  over  of  the  island.  "  I  pray  you,"  he  says,  "  hasten 
the  answer,  for  I  mind  to  hold  it  until  I  shall  have  orders 
from  thence  to  the  contrary."  He  described  the  casile  as 
being  "of  very  great  strength,  and  recommended  that  one 
hundred  men  should  be  stationed  in  it,  sixty  to  remain  on  the 
island,  and  the  other  forty  to  be  employed  in  carrying  water 
and  px'ovisions  to  them  from  the  mainland.  He  was, 
however,  only  able  to  place  forty  men  to  guard  the  fortress 
in  the  island.  The  irrepressible  Scots  so  cooped  up  the  little 
garrison  in  the  castle,  that  Lord  Deputy  Sydney  was  forced 
to  remove  them  two  months  afterwards. 

"October  8th,  1575.  The  8th  daye  of  this  month  Sur  Henry 
Sydneye,  of  the  most  noble  order  Knyght  Lord  Deputye  Generall  of 
Ireland,  came  into  this  towne  and  made  peace  with  the  Skotts,  and 
delivered  the  Raughlins  to  their  custody,  and  called  home  the  ward 
ther  resydent." — Records  of  Carrichfergus  :  M'Shlmin. 

Sydney  states  in  his  Report — 

"  The  fort  of  the  Raghlins  I  caused  to  be  abandoned,  for  I  saw  little 
purpose  for  the  present  to  keep  it ;  so  small  commoditie  at  so  great  a 
charge  to  her  majestie,  being  a  place  so  difficult  to  be  victualled  ;  they 
within  the  piece  having  no  fresh  water  to  relieve  them,  which  with 
great  danger  to  themselves,  they  are  forced  to  fetch  abroade.  The 
souldiers  I  caused  to  be  brought  hence  being  40  in  number,  they 
confessed  that  in  this  small  tyme  of  their  continuance  there,  they 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  365 

were  driven  to  kill  their  horsis  and  eat  them,  and  to  feed  on  theim 
and  young  coltes'  flesh  one  moneth  before  they  came  away.  Such 
extremitie  they  endured  for  victuals  ;  it  is  a  piece  verie  easy  to  be 
wonne  at  any  tyme,  but  very  chardgious  and  hard  to  keep." 

When  ia  September  1584  the  large  army  under  the  Lord 
Deputy,  Sir  John  Perrot^  had  seized  on  Dunhice,  he  writes  : — 

"  And  now  the  Raghlins  is  all  the  refuge  left  him  (Sorley  Boy)  ; 
it  hath  been  the  Scots'  accustomed  landing  place.  Having  shipping 
at  hand,  I  have  appointed  200  or  300  footmen  to  go  thither  to-morrow 
for  the  taking  thereof. " — Cal.  Garew  MS. 

Perrot,  however,  thought  it  more  prudent  not  to  go,  and 
on  his  return  to  Dublin  in  October,  writes  : — 

"  I  could  not  go  over  to  the  Raghlins  to  dispossess  Sorley  and  the 
Scots  of  that  refuge  also,  because  the  waters  might  have  arisen  and 
stopped  my  return  for  want  of  bridges,  and  we  had  great  want  of 
victuals  ;  but  I  trust  ere  long  it  will  be  taken." — Cal.  Garew  MS. 

It  was  taken  soon  afterwards,  on  the  22nd  of  March,  1585. 
Bagenall,  Stanley,  and  Barkley  wrote  from  Carrickfergus  to 
Perrot,  informing  him  of  Captain  Thornton's  *'  great  and 
sufficient  service  in  transporting  them  to  the  Raghlins. 
Captain  Henshaw  had  been  left  to  ward  the  Raghlins  and 
Dconanany.''  The  aspect  presented  by  the  island,  desolated 
ten  years  before,  by  ruthless  Norris,  did  not  seem  to  have 
favourably  impressed  the  visitors,  if  we  may  judge  from  a 
short  description  written  by  a  Sergeant  Price  to  Walsyngham. 

"  The  Island  of  Raghlin  is  very  barren,  full  of  heath  and  rocks,  and 
there  are  no  woods  at  all  in  it. " 

When  at  last,  in  1586,  peace  was  concluded  between  the 
English  and  Sorley,  he  became  the  acknowledged  lord  of 
Rathlin  ;  but  when,  in  1603,  the  Antrim  estates  were  granted 
in  a  more  formal  way  to  his  son,  Sir  Randal,  it  was  found 
that  the  patent  had  no  mention  whatever  of  Rathlin. 
The   grantee  urged   the  government  to  accept   a  surrender 


366  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

of  the  defaulting  pcatent,  and  to  issue  an  improved 
one  in  its  stead.  A  new  patent  was  issued,  which  it  was 
believed  legally  conveyed  the  island  to  Sir  Randal.  In  the 
year  1617,  however,  an  action  at  law  was  commenced  against 
hira  by  a  Scottish  gentleman  named  Crawford,  on  the  ground 
that  Rathlin  had  been  granted  in  the  year  1500  to  his 
ancestors,  by  James  IV.  of  Scotland,  The  question  entirely 
depended  on  whether  Rathlin  belonged  to  Ireland  or  to 
Scotland.  The  arguments  on  both  sides  are  preserved  in  the 
Carew  MS.  See  Cal.,  1st  series.  Sir  Arthur  Chichester  in 
a  letter  written  at  Carrickfergus,  March  10th,   1617,  says, 

"The  bearer,  Sir  Randal  M'Donnel,  is  by  the  King's  letter 
req^uired  to  appear  before  him  about  the  6th  of  April,  to  answer  a 
suit  commenced  by  one  George  Crawford  of  Lochnorrise  for  the  island 
of  Raughlins,  to  which  he  pretends  as  a  parcel  of  Scotland  and  of  his 
inheritance,  which  to  me  seems  a  strange  proposition.  If  it  be  of 
Scottend,  we  have  run  into  great  error,  for  in  the  time  of  the  rebellion 
we  have  often  wasted  it,  and  destroyed  the  inhabitants  by  the  sword 
and  by  the  halter  as  we  did  the  rebels  of  Ireland.  So  did  Sir  John  Perrot 
in  his  time,  of  whom  no  complaint  was  made  by  any  subject  of  Scot- 
land. It  has  been  taken  and  reputed  for  half  a  tuogh  of  the  Glynns 
in  the  County  Antrime,  ever  since  it  was  a  county  and  was  so  found 
by  inquisition  taken  by  commission  the  first  year  of  the  King  (James 
I.),  and  is  passed  to  Sir  Randal  M'Donnell  and  his  heirs  by  letters 
patent.  The  dismembering  of  it  from  the  Crown  of  Ireland  is  a 
matter  of  State,  and  not  to  be  determined  as  a  private  debate.  I 
have  declared  my  knowledge  of  it  to  the  Lord  Deputy,  who  will  open 
it  to  the  Lords  at  large.  It  lies  not  past  three  miles  from  the  main- 
lands of  Ireland,  and  twenty-four  miles  from  Scotland.  In  the  maps 
of  Scotland  I  have  not  seen  any  mention  made  of  it,  and  on  all  those 
of  Ireland  it  is  set  down  as  a  member  of  this  county." 

The  following  are  some  of  Sir  Randal's  "  Proofs  that  the 
island  of  Rathlyn  is  parcel  of  the  dominion  of  Ireland  " — 

"  It  lies  within  a  league  from  the  firm  land  of  Ireland,  seven 
leagues  and  more  from  the  firm  land  of  Scotland,  and  not  so  near  to 
any  of  the  isles  that  are  of  the  Scottish  dominion." 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  367 

The  nature  of  its  soil,  which  neither  breeds  nor  nourishes  any  living 
thing  venemous,  but  is  as  clear  of  them  as  Ireland,  where  the  isles  of 
the  Scottish  and  the  English,  in  the  same  sea,  breed  and  nourish  them, 
which  was  thought  to  be  a  proof  that  the  Isle  of  Man  was  British,  as 
appears  by  Giraldus. 

That  the  kings  of  England,  since  the  Conquest  of  Ireland,  had 
granted  the  island  to  their  subjects  and  had  received  service  for  it. 
In  the  14th  of  John,  his  Justice  in  Ireland  assigned  to  Adam  Gallway 
Insula  de  Rathlin  and  other  lands.  Henry  III.  by  his  writ  recites 
that  Allan  Gallway  had  done  his  fealty  for  those  lands.  That  in  the 
6th  Edward  I.  it  is  presented  by  the  oath  of  twelve  men,  "  That  John 
Bissett,  the  day  of  his  death,  held  the  island  of  E,acliry,  then  of  the 
value  of  £4  8s.  5d.,  and  that  the  same  was  holden  of  the  Earl  of 
Ulster,  who  at  that  time  might  create  a  tenure  of  himself  ;  and 
that  John  Bissett  endowed  his  mother-in-law  of  two  parts  thereof, 
which  proves  that  his  father  was  seized  of  it.  In  12th  Edward  II. 
the  king  granted  unto  John  Athy  those  lands  which  were  Hugh 
Bissett's  in  Insula  in  Rughrie  in  Hibernia  which  were  forfeited  to  the 
king  by  the  adherence  of  Hugh  Bissett  to  the  king's  enemies.  So  for 
the  space  of  200  years  and  more  this  island  was  possessed  as  a  part  of 
Ireland.  By  an  inquisition  it  was  found  that  William  O'Doftan, 
late  Abbot  of  the  Abbey  of  Bangor,  was  seized  at  the  suppression  of 
said  abbey  of  the  tithes  of  the  Rathlin,  and  those  tithes  have  since 
been  granted  by  the  Crown  to  Sir  James  Hamilton.  The  spiritual 
jurisdiction  has  always  been  enjoyed  by  the  Bishop  of  Connor  who 
receives  20s.  proxy  out  of  the  island,  whereas  all  the  islands  which 
lie  on  the  north-west  of  Scotland  are  inside  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Bishop  of  the  Isles  who  never  at  any  time  had  jurisdiction  in  Rathlin. 

Oliver  St.  John,  Lord  Depty,  in  a  letter  to  Sir  George 
Carew,  says  of  this  controversy  : — 

"  Concerning  of  Rathlin,  what  the  records  here  could  discover  Sir 
Randal  carrried  with  him.  The  bishop's  records  are  utterly  lost  by 
the  mutiny  of  former  times.  I  found  his  registrar  here,  who  has 
executed  the  office  under  the  last  four  bishops.  He  affirms  that  the 
people  of  the  Island  of  Rathlyn  always  with  readiness  appeared  upon 
summons  in  the  bishop's  court  of  Connor,  underwent  their  censures, 
paid  their  portion  according  to  the  statute  towards  the  maintainence 
of  the  schoolmaster,  and  neither  the  people  nor  anyone  else  ever  heard 
so  much  as  of  a  claim  being  made  by  the  bishop  of  the  isles.  The 
justices  of  assize  and  of  the  peace  always  call  them  to  their  assemblies 


368  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

without  crainsaying,  and  they  have  ever  felt  the  hand  of  justice  both 
by  the  civil  magistrate  and  marshall,  and  it  is  close  joined  to  the  land 
of  Ireland ;  and,  therefore,  our  possession  continual,  and  without 
interruption,  unless  other  proof  be  made  to  the  contrary,  which  I  can 
hardly  believe  can  be.  Besides,  there  is  one  Donell  O'Murrey,  yet 
living,  that  was  bishop  of  Connor  in  the  time  of  Popery,  and  he  affirms 
that  in  those  times  he  ever  recovered  r2s.  yearly  for  procuration  due 
unto  him  out  of  the  Island  of  Rathlyn." — Oarew  MS. 

The  case  of  Crawford,  who  was  laird  of  Lisnoris,  in  Ayr- 
shire, involved  some  curious  questions ;  he  argued — "  All 
cosmograpbers  account  the  Hebrides  or  Aemonce  insulce  to 
belong  to  Scotland,  like  as  all  of  them  consider  Raughlin  to 
be  one  of  the  same  ;  that  the  island  belonged  to  John,  Lord  of 
the  Isles,  by  whose  forfeiture  it  fell  to  the  crown  of  Scotland ; 
that  James  IV.,  a.d.  1500,  granted  it  to  Adam  Reade  and  his 
heirs ;  that  his  grandson,  Adam  Read,  dying  AD.  1575 
seized  of  it,  left  four  daughters ;  that  Henry  Stewart  the 
husband  of  the  eldest  daughter  claimed  it  and  also  obtained 
from  the  king  a  new  grant  of  it.  That  he  afterwards  sold 
his  title  to  George  Crawford  of  Lisnoris.  He  argued — 
"  Whereas  they  would  have  this  island  comprehended  under 
the  Glennes  lying  in  the  continent  of  Ireland,  as  it  is  against 
senses  to  make  an  island  four  or  five  miles  from  any  land, 
to  be  a  part  of  the  Glennes  in  the  main."  He  also  denied 
that  Rathlin  exclusively  possessed  the  peculiar  quality  of  soil 
not  "  to  nourish  any  living  thing  veuemous,"  and  maintained 
that  in  other  Scottish  islands  "  there  are  no  venemous 
beasts."* 

*  Mr.  Campbell  in  his  Popular  Tales  of  WeMern  Highlands  says 
that  neither  serpents  nor  toads  are  found  in  some  islands  off  the  coast 
of  Scotland.  "  It  is  said  that  neither  can  live  in  any  place  which  St. 
Columba  blessed  ;  or  where  he  built  chapels  and  monasteries,  such  as 
in  Eillach-a-Naomh  and  lona."  It  is  remarkable  that  even  the  frog 
is  not  found  in  Rathlin. 


THE  ISLAJfD  OP  RATHLIN.  369 

We  do  not  know  how  this  remarkable  case  terminated, 
but  we  know  that  Sir  Randal  and  his  descendants  retained 
Rathlin.  Shortly  after  the  commencement  of  the  great  war 
of  1641  the  Scots  volunteered  to  send  an  army  of  ten 
thousand  men  against  the  Irish.  The  Scotch  offer  was 
accepted ,  and  the  Marquis  of  Argyle  was  appointed  governor 
of  Rathlin,  which  was  to  be  the  depot  for  the  expedition 
The  following  is  from  the  royal  commission  : — 

"Know  ye  that  we  have  given  and  granted  full  power  and  license 
to  the  said  Archibald,  Marquis  of  Argyle,  to  conduct  and  lead  the 
said  regiment  into  our  said  realm  of  Ireland  against  the  rebels,  enemies, 
and  traitors.  And  we  do  nominate  and  appoint  him  and  such  other 
person  or  persons  as  he,  in  his  judgment  and  discretion,  shall  assign 
to  be  governor  or  governors  of  our  isle  of  Rachraye,  giving  and  granting 
unto  him  and  his  said  deputy  full  absolute  authority  to  take  possession 
of  the  said  island  and  plant  a  garrison  there." — Lib.  Muner.  Hib. 

Ai'gyle  appointed,  as  colonel  of  his  regiment  and  probably 
as  governor  of  Rathlin,  Sir  Duncan  Campbell  of  Auchinbreck 
who  proceeded  to  it  in  April  1642.  Mr.  Hill  in  his  Mac- 
donnells  oi  Antrim  says: — "1,600  of  the  Campbells  made 
their  way  to  the  little  island  of  Rathlin  and  literally  swept 
it  bare  of  every  living  thing.  A  vivid  and  harrowing 
tradition  is  still  told  there  of  this  Campbell  invasion,  which  is 
represented  as  having  been  more  remorseless  than  any  similar 
event  that  had  ever  previously  happened  in  that  island."  * 

*  At  a  place  known  as  Port-na-Calliagh,  many  women  are  said  to 
have  been  thrust  or  hurled  alive  from  the  cliffs,  and  a  curious  episode 
is  told  in  connexion  with  this  atrocious  deed.  One  woman,  compara- 
tively j'oung,  survived  the  fall  from  the  rock  and  was  picked  up  by  a 
stalwart  Campbell,  who  tenderly  cared  for  her  until  she  became 
convalescent,  and  afterwards  removed  her  to  his  home  in  the  Hinns 
of  Isla.  Her  husband  had  been  slain  before  her  face,  and  her  little 
son  had  disappeared,  no  one  knew  where.  She  became  the  wife  of 
Campbell,  and  being  irresistibly  attracted  in  her  old  age  by  some 
mysterious  yearning  of  the  heart,   she  returned  to  look  at  her  once 

Y 


370  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

The  scene  of  the  conflict  Lag-na-vista-vor,  "  the  hollow  of  the 
great  defeat,"  is  still  pointed  ovxt  and  above  it  Crookascreidlin, 
"  the  hill  of  screaming,"  where  the  women  and  children  were 
collected  to  watch  the  battle.  That  terrible  military  butchery 
is  to  this  day  called  the  Campbell  Massacre ;  it  caused  the 
name  to  be  held  in  such  detestation,  that  formerly  no  one 
bearing  that  hated  appellation  could  with  safety  set  foot  on 
the  island.  The  victories  of  Montrose  and  Sir  Alaster 
MacDonnell  seem  to  have  induced  the  Campbells  to  with- 
draw their  men  from  Rathlin  to  defend  their  own  homes  in 
the  Highlands,  for  we  read  in  Grant's  Memoirs  of  Montrose 
that  many  of  the  relations  and  clansmen  of  Sir  Alister,  to 
avoid  the  vengeance  of  the  Campbells  after  his  victory  of 
Kilsyth,  fled  to  Rathlin  and  Jura.  Thither  they  were 
pursued  by  two  leaders  of  the  Campbells,  the  laird  of 
Ardkinglass  and  the  Captain  of  Skipness.  Sir  Alaster  on 
hearing  this  determined  on  reprisals  and  hastened  into  the 
Campbell  territory.  To  the  arguments  used  by  the  captain- 
general  to  induce  him  to  stay  he  replied,  "  that  '  he  would 
be  no  true  Highlander,  if  he  preferred  even  the  king's  cause 
to  that  of  his  own  blood  and  kindred,'  and  with  500  High- 
landers and  120  chosen  Irish  musketeers,  on  the  3rd  of 
September,  1645,  he  marched  for  the  west  country  on  his 
errand  of  vengeance,  bidding  adieu  to  Montrose,  never  to 
meet  with  him  more." 

Though  Rathlin  had  been  leased  to  trustees  in  1637  by  the 
Earl  of  Antrim,  to  assist  in  paying  debts  on  his  estate,  it  was 
declared  by  the  Crom^wellian  party  forfeited  for  the  part  he 

happy  home  in  Rathlin,  and  there  discovered  her  son,  who  had  grown 
to  be  a  man,  and  retained  possession  of  the  little  farm."—  HiWii  Mac- 
donnells  of  Antrim.  They  also  tell  that  a  man,  named  Black,  saved 
himself  by  hiding  on  an  insulated  rock  near  the  Bull  Point,  where  he 
lived  on  sea-weed  and  shell-fish. 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  371 

took  in  the  war  of  1641.  The  act  of  settlement  restored  it, 
but  Dr.  Ralph  King,  on  whom  it  and  other  lands  in  Carey 
had  been  conferred  by  the  usurpers,  continued  to  receive  the 
rents  through  his  agent,  William  M'Kerrell  of  Ballycastle. 
Mr.  Stewart,  Lord  Antrim's  agent,  obtained  from  the  House 
of  Lords  an  order  restraining  M'Kerrell  from  collecting  the 
rents  of  those  lands  in  futvire,  and  prohibiting  him  from 
giving  to  Dr.  King  any  moneys  he  had  received.  Dr.  King, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons,  having 
petitioned  that  House  it  ordered  a  committee  to  repair  to  the 
House  of  Lords  to  complain  of  the  breach  of  privilege  com- 
mitted by  Stewart,  He  at  once  submitted  and  the  Commons 
on  the  3rd  of  June,  1662,  ordered  that  their  previous  order 
"  be  no  more  proceeded  in."  The  act  of  Explanation  ter- 
minated Dr.  King's  claim  and  the  Earl  of  Antrim  again 
became  possessed  of  Rathlin.  Mr.  Hill  in  The  Stewarts  of 
Ballintoy  gives  a  list  of  Duties  which  in  addition  to  the  rent 
were  enforced  on  the  various  parts  of  the  Antrim  estates 
about  the  year  1720. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  the  duties  paid  in  Rathlin  : — 


Townland  of  Kenramer 

24  Pullets  and  10 

,,             Ballygriel 

24 

„     10 

,,             Killypatrick     ... 

12        „ 

„■      5 

,,             Ballynavargan 

24 

„       3 

,,             Ballycarey 

12 

„       5 

Ballynoe 

24 

„     10 

,,             Kankiel             ... 

24 

»      8 

More  to  be  paid  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  island  yearly,  19  sheep. 

During  the  agency  of  Alexander  Stewart  the  Earl  received 
from  Rathlin  a  rent  of  £109  7s.  Od.  Stewarts  of  Ballintoy. 
Alexander,  the  fifth  Earl  of  Antrim,  sold  in  1740  the  island 
to  Mr.  Gage,  the  great  grandfather  of  the  present  proprietor, 
reserving  the  royalties  and  a  rent  of  £100  per  annum  ;  the 


372  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

royalties  were  purchased  by  the  Gage  family  in  1813.*  A 
few  years  previous  to  this  Mr.  Alexander  M'Donnell  had 
purchased,  for  £2,220,  the  head-rent  of  the  island,  which  has 
descended  by  inheritance  to  his  nephew,  Col.  M'Donnell, 
D.L.,  of  Kilmore  in  Glenariff  (see  p.  206), 

The  nearesc  point  of  Rathlin  is  about  four  miles  from 
Ballycastle,  but  the  intervening  channel,  when  even  the  sea 
elsewhere  is  calm,  is  so  scourged  by  a  powerful  current  and  by 
a  conflux  of  tides,  that  it  was  at  all  times  the  terror  of 
sailors.  This  conflux  of  tides  is  called  now  Slough-na-morra 
— "  the  gulp  of  the  sea,"  but  in  ancient  times  it  was  known 
by  the  name  of  Coire-brecain — "  Brecan's  Pot."  Dr.  Reeves' 
Eccles.  Antiq.  p.  289,  gives  a  translation  of  the  following 
passage  from  Cormac's  Glossary  a  work  written  about  the 
year  900  :— 

"  Coire  Brecai7i,  i.e.,  the  conflux  of  the  different  seas,  viz.,  the 
sea  which  encompasses  Ere  at  the  north-west,  the  sea  which  encom- 
passes Alba  at  the  north-east,  and  the  sea  to  the  south  between  Ere 
and  Alba.  They  rush  at  each  other  after  the  likeness  of  a  luaithrinde 
and  each  is  buried  into  the  other  like  the  aired  tairechta,  and  they 
are  sucked  down  inta  the  gulp  so  as  to  form  a  gaping  cauldron,  which 
would  receive  all  Ere  into  its  wide  mouth.  The  waters  are  again 
thrown  up,  so  that  their  belching,  roaring,  and  thundering  are  heard 
amid  the  clouds  ;  and  they  boil  like  a  cauldron  upon  the  fire. 
Brecan,  a  certain  merchant,  the  son  of  Maine,   son  of  Niall  of  the 

*  In  1784,  when  Dr.  Hamilton  visited  the  island  the  rent  paid  to 
Mr.  Gage  was  £600.  At  that  period,  in  a  fruitful  year,  barley  had 
been  exported  to  the  value  of  £600  ;  and  in  1784  one  hundred  tons  of 
kelp  manufactured  on  the  island  were  sold  at  £5  .5s.  per  ton.  Eathlin 
has  an  area  of  3399  acres  and  its  Poor-law  Valuation  is  £975  10s. 
Very  agreeable  relations  exist  between  his  tenants  and  Mr.  Gage  ; 
evictions  are  unknown  and  the  rents  have  been  settled  by  mutual 
agreement  without  the  intervention  of  the  law-courts.  The  priest 
and  minister  are  the  only  professional  gentlemen  on  the  island  ;  Mr. 
Gage  is  a  magistrate  but  there  are  no  policemen  nor  coastguards  ;  nor 
are  their  services  ever  required. 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  373 

Nine  Hostages,*  had  fifty  curraghs  trading  between  Ere  and  Alba, 
until  they  all  fell  together  into  this  cauldron,  and  were  swallowed 
up,  so  that  not  one  survived  to  bear  the  tidings  of  their  fate. " 

Adamnan  in  his  Life  of  St.  Columba  translates  it  into 

CJiaryhdis  Brecani.       Thus  chap.    4,    book   I.    is   headed 

"  About  the  danger  of  the  holy  Colman  Mac-u-Sailni,  the 
bishop,  in  the  sea  near  the  island  of  Rechru  ;"  again  he  tells, 
that,  when  St.  Oolumba  was  conveying  the  remains  of  St. 
Kieran  to  Hy,  the  ship  was  driven  by  a  tempest  ^'into  a 
certain  charybdis,  which  is  named  Core  Brecain,  a  most 
dangerous  whirlpool  of  the  sea,  into  which  if  a  ship  enters 
it  escapes  not."  O'Donnell  in  his  Life  of  St.  Columba  relates 
the  dangerous  passage  which  the  Saint  had  "in  Core 
Brecain."  From  the  celebrity,  which  this  Coire  Brecain 
acquired  from  its  extreme  danger,  the  name  became  extended 
to  other  places,  which  were  dreaded  by  Celtic  sailors. 

"  As  you  pass  thro'  Jura's  Sound, 

Bend  your  course  by  Scarba's  shore  ; 
Shun,  0  shun  the  gulph  profound 
Where  Corrivreken's  surges  roar." 

-  -Mi?iistrelsy  Scot.  Border. 
On  entering  the  little  harbour  at  Church  Bay  the  Protestant 
church  is  situated  on  the  left,  close   to   the   shore  ;  on  the 
north  side  of  it  rises  abruptly  a  high  hill,  which  approaches 

*  Niall's  reign  commenced  A.n.  379.  The  remainder  of  the  extract 
from  Cormac's  Glossary  is  given  in  vol.  ii,  p.  37-  Erecan  is  stai 
remembered  in  popular  traditions  and  gives  name  to  Bracken's  Cave 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  island  ;  he  is  now  represented  as  a  great 
warrior  who  fought  many  battles  with  another  celebrated  warrior 
named  Birn  (perhaps  a  Scandinavian  Biorn)  who  gave  name  to  Owey- 
berne.  The  traditions  of  Eathlin  are  very  warped  and  confused, 
formerly  the  traditions  regarding  these  warriors  were  embodied  in 
Gaelic  songs  but  now  those  songs  are  forgotten,  and  though  the 
language  is  still  spoken  by  almost  every  one,  yet  only  one  or  two  can 
read  it,  and  everyone  can  speak  Engb'sh. 


374  DIOCESE    OP   CONNOR. 

SO  close  to  the  shore,  that  there  is  only  room  for  the  church 
and  its  little  graveyard.  The  church  occupies  the  site  of  the 
ancient  Catholic  church  but  there  is  nothing  of  antiquity 
remaining  save  a  tradition  that  the  ancient  church  was 
known  by  the  names  of  Seipeal  Gooil — "  the  Chapel  of  Cooal, 
(Comhghaill),"  and  Teampoll  Cooil — "  The  Church  of  Cooal." 
That,  therefore,  was  the  site  where  St.  Cooal,  or  Comgall,  the 
founder  of  Bangor,  erected  about  the  year  580  the  '*  cell " 
or  little  church  already  mentioned  (p.  353).  Until  the 
Dissolution  the  rectorial  tithes  of  the  island  were  appropriate 
to  the  abbey  of  Bangor ;  they  were  then  granted  to  Rice 
Aphugh,  subsequently  to  John  Thomas  Hibbots,  and  in 
1605  to  Sir  James  Hamilton  who  seems  to  have  assigned 
them  to  Randal,  Earl  of  Antrim,  Rathlin  is  not  entered  in 
the  taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  nor  in  the  Terrier,  from  which 
it  would  appear,  that,  even  at  the  date  of  the  taxation,  it 
was  considered  as  an  appendage  to  the  union  of  Billy  and 
Ballintoy.  The  Ulster  Visitatio7i  Book  of  1622  reports — 
'^'  Graunge  de  Rawlines  ;  the  2d  part  of  all  tithes  impropriate 
to  the  Abby  of  Bangor  and  possesst  by  the  Earl  of  Antrym. 
Noe  vicar  nor  curate,  it  being  not  able  to  maynteyne  one, 
neither  can  the  people  come  to  be  served  ellswhere  it  being 

*  Notwithstanding  the  celebrity  of  St.  Comgall  there  is  no  place  in 
Ireland  that  bears  his  name  except  under  a  form  so  obscured  that  it 
is  with  difficulty  it  can  be  recognised.  The  family  name  3Iac  Gil- 
cowtll,  which  we  know  from  the  Inquisitiones  Ultoniffi,  was  of  frequent 
occurrence  in  the  vicinity  of  Glenavy,  has  now  assumed  the  form 
of  "  MacConnell."  MacGilcowell — in  Irish,  MacGialla  Comhgliail — 
"son  of  the  servant  of  St.  Comgall,"  was  doubtlessly  an  Erenach 
under  the  abbey  of  Bangor  which  possessed  so  much  church-land  in 
that  district  MacGilcowell ;  gave  name  to  Ballymacilhoyle,  where 
there  was  a  little  church  at  Aldergrove,  and  under  its  modernized 
form  it  seems  to  have  given  name  to  Ballymacconnell,  on  which  a  part 
of  the  town  of  Bangor  is  built. 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  375 

remote  and  an  Hand  in  the  sea."  Oliver  St.  John's  letter 
states  that  that  12s.  per  annum  was  paid  by  the  island  to 
the  Bishop  of  Connor  in  Catholic  times  but  a  note  of  "  Pro- 
curations upon  impropriations "  payable  to  the  bishop, 
appended  in  the  Ulster  Visitation  Book,  enters  "  Raughlines, 
£1  Os.  Od."  The  ancient  Teampoll  cooil  remained  in  ruins 
until  about  1722  when  on  its  site  was  erected  a  Protestant 
Church  through  the  instrumentality  of  Dr.  Hutchinson,  who> 
in  that  year,  published  his  ''  State  of  the  Case  of  the  Island 
of  Baghlin,"  and  annexed  to  it  a  translation  into  Irish  of  the 
Protestant  Catechism  which  he  called  the  Raghlin  Catechism. 
The  great  tithes  wei'e  purchased  from  the  Earl  of  Antrim  by 
the  trustees  and  governors  of  Queen  Anne's  Bounty,  and  the 
small  tithes  were  surrendered  by  the  rector  of  Ballintoy  to 
endow  the  minister  of  the  new  church.  The  space  around 
the  church  between  the  mountain  and  the  sea  was  very 
small  and  was  probably  all  occupied  by  monastic  buildings 
leaving  little  or  no  room  for  interments,  which  in  the  times 
of  stone-lined  graves,  when  only  one  interment  could  be 
made  in  a  grave,  required  an  extensive  cemetery.  For  that 
purpose  the  whole  of  the  land,  extending  from  the  old  coast- 
guard station  across  the  glebe-land  to  the  Standing  Stone, 
seems  to  have  been  used.  The  site  is  named  Ouig,  a  form  of 
UaigJiK — "  graves "  and  is  filled  with  stone-lined  graves. 
Portions  of  this  cemetery  may  have  been  occupied  as  a  ceme- 
tery even  in  Pagan  times.  The  Standing  Stone,  a  lime-stone 
flag  rising  above  the  surface  3  feet  9  inches,  2  feet  2  inches 
broad,  and  1  foot  thick,  seems  to  have  been  a  funereal 
monument ;  near  it  was  discovered  a  grave.  Dr.  Hamilton, 
in  1784,  says  that  a  number  of  small  tumuli  were  lately 
opened  in  a  little  plain  about  the  middle  of  the  island. 
"  The  chief  himself  lay  in  a  stone  coffin,  and  beside  him 


376  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

an  earthen  vessel  stood,  which  by  the  residuum  still  visible, 
seemed  formerly  to  have  contained  an  offering  of  blood,  or 
some  other  perishable  animal  substance.  Within  the 
tumuli  lay  a  considerable  number  of  human  bones,  the 
I'emains  of  more  ignoble  men,  who  might  have  fallen  by  the 
like  fate  of  war.  Brazen  swords,  and  spear  heads  of  the 
same  material,  found  in  this  plain,  bear  strong  evidence  of 
the  bloody  scenes,  which  have  been  transacted  here  in  remote 
ages.  A  large  fibula  was  found  in  one  of  the  tumuli,  which 
is  deposited  in  the  museum  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin." — 
Letters  Concerning  the  North  Coast  of  Antrim.  On  the 
south-west  side  of  the  island  near  Rue  Point  is  Sloaknacaliagh 
said  to  have  been  named  from  the  massacre  of  the  women 
by  soldiers  of  Essex.  On  a  line  between  Maddygalla  rocks 
and  Ushet  Lough  are  the  remains  of  a  cairn  in  which 
Alexander  M'Kinley,  about  seventy  years  ago,  found  human 
bones.  Doon  Point  is  remarkable  for  its  resemblance  to  the 
Causeway ;  its  pillars  have  commonly  five,  six,  or  seven 
sides.  It  seems  to  have  been  fortified  by  cutting  across  the 
narrow  neck  which  connected  the  headland.  Between  Doon 
Point  and  Illancarragh  is  a  natural  harbour  presenting  the 
appearance  of  three  sides  of  a  parallelogram  cut  into  the  land ; 
the  bottom  is  deeply  covered  by  round  sea-rolled  stones 
averaging  10  inches  in  diameter,  while  the  sides  of  the 
natural  mole  is  composed  of  basaltic  columns  presenting 
strange  varieties.  A  trifiing  sum  expended  in  removing  the 
round  stones  and  making  a  breakwater  would  enable  the 
hardy  islanders,  having  the  harbour  of  Church  Bay  on  the 
west  and  this  on  the  east,  to  avail  themselves  of  the  untold 
wealth  of  fish  that  is  every  day  passing  their  doors.  Close 
to  this  natural  harbour,  on  its  west  side,  the  site  of  a  castle 
called  Castle  Voodish  is  pointed  out ;  there  are  no  remains 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  377 

of  buildings,  but  it  is  said  that  artificial  caves  are  under  the 
site.  In  a  grazing  farm  of  Robert  M'Cooig,  in  a  subde- 
nomination  of  Carravindoon,  called  Drum-an-t-shan-gortin,  is 
an  ancient  circular  enclosure  about  50  feet  in  diameter 
formed  by  stones  set  on  end.  Its  entrance  was  towards  the 
north  faced  on  each  side  by  two  large  stones,  which  rise 
above  the  surface  about  3^  and  2|  feet  respectively,  and  stand 
about  4J  feet  apart.  The  remains  are  simply  the  foundation 
of  a  dry  stone  wall.  On  the  outside  was  a  trench  which  is 
now  nearly  obliterated.  Interments  have  been  found  in  the 
interior  of  it  and  the  people  call  it  Kilvoruan — "  the  Church 
of  St  Ruan."  We  will  meet  a  more  extensive  structure  of 
the  same  kind  in  the  townland  of  Knockans  which  is  called 
by  the  same  name.  In  Craigmacagan  are  two  enormous 
boulders  which  apear  once  to  have  formed  one  stone,  they 
are  called  Macatire — "  the  wolves,"  about  which  the  natives 
have  a  number  of  legends.  In  some  old  local  map,  it  appears 
there  is  a  place  in  this  townland  marked  "  Holy  Cross." 
At  the  north-eastern  end  of  Ballynoe  is  Brackens'  Cave,  one 
of  the  many  natural  caves  along  the  shore  of  the  island.  In 
the  southern  division  of  Ballycarey  is  Crookascreidlin — "  the 
hill  of  the  screaming,"  so  called,  it  is  said,  because  the  women 
and  children  stood  on  it  watching  the  battle  bet  ween  the  island- 
ers and  the  Campbellsin  1642.  The  battle, itis  said, wasfought 
about  half  ways  between  it  and  the  Standing  Stone,  in  a 
little  hollow  called  Lag-a-vi-iste-vor — "  the  hollow  of  the 
great  defeat."  Near  Crookascreidlin  is  the  site  of  the  castle 
said  to  have  been  the  residence  of  "  a  great  lady."  A  little 
field  close  to  Portcam  is  the  site  of  an  ancient  graveyard  now 
nameless.  The  i-emains  of  Bruce's  Castle  occupy  the  summit  of 
a  rocky  headland  detached  from  the  mainland  by  a  deep  trench. 
They  consist  of  mere  foundations  of  a  wall  cresting  the  summit 


378  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR, 

of  the  cliff.  They  are,  however,  peculiarly  interesting  from 
the  fact  that  cinders  of  sea  coal  bearing  a  close  resemblance 
to  the  Bally  castle  coal  are  visible  in  the  mortar  and  prove 
that  coal  had  been  used  as  a  fuel  in  Rathlin  700  years  ago, 
for  the  castle  is  of  a  date  long  antecedent  to  the  days  of 
Bruce.  The  foundations  of  a  quadrangular  fortification 
surrounded  on  the  land  side  by  a  deep  foss  adjoin  the  entrance 
to  the  once  fortified  headland  ;  these  outworks  are  probably 
of  a  later  date.  At  a  few  perches  to  the  west  of  the  castle 
is  a  piece  of  boggy  ground  filled  with  human  bones — the 
remains  of  victims  sacrificed  to  the  ruthless  vengeance  of 
Essex's  cruel  soldiers.  Half  ways  between  Bruce's  Castle 
and  the  Light  House  is  a  remarkable  well,  which,  though  high 
above  sea-level,  rises  and  falls  with  the  tide.  Stations  were 
formerly  made  at  it  on  St.  John's  Eve.  It  was  probably 
connected  with  the  little  graveyard  at  Portcam.  It  is  said 
St.  Columkille  blessed  this  well,  when  he  landed  on  the 
island  during  a  great  storm,  which  overtook  him  on  his 
passage  to  lona.  None  of  the  Lives  of  the  Saint  mention 
that  he  visited  Kathlin;  for  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
Rachrainn,  where  he  built  a  church,  is  Lambay  where  also 
was  the  church  erected  by  his  successor,  St.  Segineus.  On 
the  beach  at  a  little  distance  from  the  castle  "  is  a  natural 
cavern  with  a  wall  in  front,  evidently  intended  for  defence, 
called  Bruce's  Cave,  which  oral  history  states  was  also  used 
as  a  place  of  retreat  by  the  Scottish  chieftain  ;  it  is  here 
worthy  of  record,  that  in  the  summer  of  1797,  every  male 
adult  in  Baghery,  except  the  parish  priest  and  one  other 
gentleman,  took  the  test  of  United  Irishmen  in  the  gloomy 
recess  of  Bruce's  Cavern."  There  could  be  nothing  more 
improbable  than  this,  the  entrance  of  Bruce's  Cave  is 
inaccessible  except  in  calm  weather,  Bruce  would  have  been 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  379 

more  comfortable  and  safer  in  the  castle  ;  nor  is  it  mentioned 
that  his  presence  in  the  island  was  even  known  to  his 
enemies,  and  Father  M'Mullan  suffered  more  from  the 
royalists  than  from  the  rebels.  There  is  here  a  small  haven 
called  Port-na-Sassanach  preserving  the  memory  of  some 
English  raid.  In  a  glen,  between  Ballynaggard  and 
Kilpatrick,  stations  were  made  during  the  lifetime  of  the 
grandmother  of  an  old  woman  now  about  75  years  of  age. 
No  indications  of  a  church  or  graveyard  have  been  discovered 
in  Kilpatrick,  but  it  has  been  used  for  many  years  as  a  stock- 
farm  by  Mr.  G-age,  and  consequently  there  was  no  disturbance 
of  its  soil  to  bring  to  light  such  indications.  In  this  town- 
land  there  is  a  little  field  sloping  to  the  south  in  which  there 
is  a  hill  called  Altbeg,  and  on  it  a  large  stone  on  which 
Mass  was  celebrated  during  times  of  persecution.  In 
Knockans  North  there  is,  in  the  farm  of  Mrs.  M'Curdy,  a 
place  called,  like  that  at  Drum-an-tshan-gortin  already 
mentioned,  Kilvoruan — "  the  Church  of  St.  Ruan."  The 
remains  consist  of  several  nearly  circular  enclosures  of  stones 
contiguous  to  each  other ;  and  within  the  larger  enclosures 
are  several  smaller  circles  of  stone,  each  about  twelve  feet 
in  diameter.  The  various  stone  circles  seem  the  foundations 
of  diy  stone  walls.  Though  the  people  say  that  this  Kil- 
voruan is  a  graveyard  they  have  no  means  of  ascertaining 
it ;  for  their  reverence  for  the  place  prevents  them  from 
disturbing  it.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  outer  circle 
is  the  foundation  of  an  ecclesiastical  cashiol  which  was 
enlarged  at  several  times  by  additions,  and  that  the  smaller 
circles  are  the  foundations  of  cells  of  the  simplest  construc- 
tion, that  consisted  of  a  circular  wall  of  dry  stones  into  which 
branches  of  trees  were  inserted,  the  tops  of  which  were  tied 
together  like  the  ribs  of  an  umbrella  and  on  these  were  laid 


380  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

sods.  These  structures  were  t]ien  thatched  with  heather  and 
presented  an  appearance  precisely  similar  to  the  Boley  Houses, 
described  in  the  State  Papers  of  the  reign  of  James  I.,  as  the 
residences  of  the  Irish  when  attending  their  cattle  on  the 
mountains  during  the  summer.  E,uan,  whose  name  these 
l)]aces  bear  was  probably  the  Luan  mentioned  in  the  life  of 
St.  Malachy  written  by  St.  Bernard.  That  saint  writing  of 
the  former  greatness  of  Bangor  says,  that  one  monk  named 
Tman  (Luanus)  founded  one  hundred  monasteries.  All  these 
establishments  were  probably  of  the  same  class  as  those  in 
Rathlin.  South  of  this  there  is  a  well  close  to  the  shore  called 
Kileany  Well.  The  Ordnance  Map  enters  in  Ballygill  Middle 
"  Kilbride  old  graveyard."  Little  of  it  now  remains  undis- 
turbed ;  many  stone-lined  graves  were  found  in  it.  The 
Doonmore*  rises  abruptly  to  the  height  of  about  50  feet  and 

*  In  the  library  of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy  is  preserved  an  ancient 
historical  romance  the  Triumphs  of  Congal  Clairmgnech — "of  the 
broad  or  flat  nails,"  about  whom  the  Annals  of  Cloumacnoise  say— 
"  fle  did  many  notable  acts  of  chivalry,  as  there  are  volumes  of 
history  written  of  his  hardiness  and  manhood."  (For  acounts  of  him 
see  vol.  i,  p.  2,  and  vol.  iv,  p.  229).  Mr.  Hill,  MacDonnells  of  Antrim, 
Appendix  iv,  gave  a  translation,  from  the  manuscript  of  the  part 
relating  to  the  Island  of  Rathlin  of  which  the  following  is  a  summary  : 

A  king  of  Huaradha  (Norway  ?)  named  Nabghodon  fell  into  a  deep 
decline  through  sorrow  for  the  death  of  his  wife,  and  when  his  people 
came  to  console  him  he  said — "  There  is  an  island  in  the  western 
extremity  of  Europe  named  Innis  Fuineadh  (one  of  the  ancient  names 
of  Ireland  "the  uttermost  island  ")  ;  its  men  are  small,  symmetrical 
and  vigorous,  and  its  women  beautiful  ;  and  if  any  wife  befitting  me 
can  be  found  in  the  world,  it  is  there  she  shall  be  found."  There- 
upon they  appointed  thirty  champions,  the  bravest  among  them,  to 
proceed  to  Ireland.  They  hoisted  their  splendid  speckled  sails  and 
pushed  forward  on  the  foam-crested  waves  of  the  ocean.  They  saw 
Inis-na-7nharc,  "  the  island  of  the  barks,"  which  is  called  Rachrin  on 
the  coast  of  Dalriada  ;  they  saw  at  a  distance  the  royal,  splendid, 
lofty,  large  city,  with  its  elegantly  built  white  houses,  its  grianans 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLTN.  381 

is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  low  boggy  ground.  The  mound 
seems  to  have  been  upheaved  by  nature  and  trimmed  by  art, 
so  that  its  sides  are  almost  perpendicular.  Its  top  is  a  level 
oval,  of  156  feet  by  105  feet,  which  was  surrounded  by  a 
cyclopian  wall,  about  12  feet  broad,  the  foundation  of  which 

of  glass,  and  its  very  wide  royal  palaces.  Aud  they  steered  their 
ships  towards  the  city.  .  .  .  They  saw  before  them  a  lady,  the 
most  handsome  of  the  children  of  Adam,  having  clear  blue  eyes, 
curling  tresses  of  hair,  a  melodious  voice,  and  a  pleasing  accent.  She 
and  her  band  of  female  attendants  sat  in  an  enchanting  glade,  and 
they  commenced  to  play  on  their  musical  instruments  and  display 
their  expertness,  while  she  employed  herself  in  instructing  her  female 
companions."  The  lady  was  yaise,  surnamed  Taobhgheal — "  of  the 
white  side,"  the  daughter  of  Donn,  king  of  the  island  and  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Dagdha  king  of  the  Tuatha-De-Danaan.  Being  brought 
into  the  presence  of  King  Uonn  they  demanded  his  daughter  as  wife 
for  their  king.  Donn  refused  telling  that  his  daughter  was  the 
affianced  bride  of  Congal ;  whereupon  they  threatened  the  vengeance 
of  their  great  king,  but  Donn  assured  them  that  were  they  not  enjoying 
his  own  hospitality  he  would  inflict  on  them  the  punishment  which 
their  threats  merited.  They  passed  that  night  and  were  furnished 
with  food  and  attendance,  and  on  the  morrow  they  steered  away  over 
the  same  expanse  of  ocean.  Passing  by  the  vows  of  vengeance  against 
the  men  of  Rathlin,  which  the  king  and  the  nobles  of  Huardha  made, 
when  their  messengers  returned,  "  we  must  relate  how  Congal  was 
then  engaged."  Though  he  had  defeated  Niall  Niamhglilonach  ("of 
the  shining  deeds")  who  dwelt  at  Mount  Sandel  (see  p.  159)  and 
Fergus  MacLeide  (see  page  229),  his  rival  for  the  sovereignty  of 
Ulster,  he  and  his  followers  deemed  it  prudent  to  retire  for  a  time 
to  foreign  countries  but  first  he  determined  that  his  fleet  should 
touch  at  Rathlin  that  he  might  marry  Tase  "  of  the  white  side."  In 
the  meantime  King  Donn  and  his  people  having  heard  of  the  great 
expedition  which  the  King  of  Huaradha  was  preparing  against  them 
resolved  that  he  should  proceed  to  Erin  to  invite  the  aid  of  Congal. 
The  Ultonians  "  observed  a  single  corrach  bounding  over  the  waves 
of  the  ocean  approaching  them  ;  it  contained  only  one  noble-looking, 
handsome  man.  Congal  said — '  I  know  that  man  in  the  corrach  ;  he 
is  King  Donn,  coming  to  know  if  I  am  ready  to  wed  his  daughter.'  " 
The  king  related  to  Congal  and  his  chiefs  the  dangers  that  threatened 


382  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

only  remains.  The  top  of  a  broad  wall  crossing  the  interior 
appears  through  the  grass ;  it  is  probable  that  it  conceals  an 
artificial  cave,  so  usual  in  forts  of  this  construction.  The 
fort  was  surrounded  by  an  outer  circular  wall  enclosing  a 
considerable  space  particularly  on  the  north  side.     This  wall 

his  daughter  and  his  kingclom,  and  the  Ulster  chiefs  advised  him  to 
return  before  them  to  his  own  city  to  prepare  for  their  reception.  On 
their  arrival  they  found  that  "  Donn  had  so  arranged  that  he  pre- 
pared a  palace  outside  of  his  fortress  for  the  reception  of  Congal." 
At  the  great  banquet  given  in  the  royal  residence.  "King  Donn, 
together  with  the  chiefs  of  Racruinn,  from  King  Donn  to  Archuill, 
were  located  on  the  right-hand  side  of  Congal,  while  '  Taise  of  the 
white  side '  and  her  female  attendants  were  placed  on  the  other  side 
of  Congal  ;  those  sons  of  kings  were  placed  on  the  balconies  of  the 
palace,  and  Fachtna  Fionn,  the  bard,  and  Fraoch,  the  druid,  sat  before 
Congal."  Just  then  the  fleet  of  Nabghodon  "was  steering  to  Rach- 
ruinn  and  they  saw  the  light  of  burning  lamps  while  they  were  still 
out  at  sea — '  Good  pilots,'  said  Nabghodon,  '  what  place  is  that  where 
the  great  light  is  which  we  see?'  'It  is  our  opinion,'  said  they, 
'  that  it  is  at  King  Donn's  palace  it  is,  and  that  Congal,  the  son  of 
the  King  of  Ireland,  is  there  to-night  celebrating  his  nuptials.'  '1 
wish  he  may  be  there,'  said  Nabghodon,  'and  let  the  crews  of  three 
ships  proceed  to  explore  the  island. '  As  to  Feargus  he  was  listening 
to  the  murmur  of  the  sea  on  the  northern  side  and  he  heard  the 
plashing  of  the  large  ships  coming  to  anchor  on  the  island.  Feargus 
started  out  and  assumed  his  arms.  When  Muireadhach,  son  of  the 
King  of  Alban,  saw  that  he  followed  Feargus  out  and  hastened  to 
assist  Feargus  in  guarding  the  harbour.  When  the  first  ship  of 
these  entered  into  port,  Feargus  grasped  the  prow  with  his  two  large 
powerful  hands  and  shook  it  so  powerfully  that  its  planks  started 
asunder,  its  binding  bolts  flew  out  and  all  its  timbers  separated  and 
the  crew  fell  through  the  yawning  wreck  on  the  strand,  .  .  .  and 
Muireadhac  Meirgeach  began  to  slaughter  the  warriors  while 
Feargus  boarded  the  next  ship  and  began  to  slaughter  the  crew." 
Nabghodon  now  approached  the  harbour  with  his  full  fleet  and 
cried  to  his  men — "  fetch  rocks  and  stones  from  the  harbour  with  you 
that  we  may  shatter  that  palace  with  them.  Thus  they  came  against 
the  palace  armed  with  heavy  loads  of  stones  from  the  harbour.  And 
when  they  reached  it  they  made  a  furious  assault  upon  the  palace,  so 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  383 

was  apparently  also  built  without  mortar,  but  it  has  entirely 
disappeared,  except  a  few  great  stones  which  serve  to  indicate 
the  form  of  the  wall.  On  the  west  of  the  fort  a  stream,  which, 
after  cutting  for  itself  a  deep  channel,  empties  into  the  sea 
about  400  yards  from  the  Doon  at  Port-Doonagiall — "  the 

that  the  shields,  javelins,  and  swords  that  were  fixed  up  on  the  walls 
fell  on  the  heads  of  the  men,  and  the  upright  columns  of  stone  that 
supported  the  roof  of  the  palace  prevented  it  from  falling  in  upon 
them.  Thereupon  Feargus  starting  up  rushed  out  and  Muireadhach 
followed  him  ;  they  took  a  speedy  circuit  around  the  palace  and  made 
a  courageous,  manly  attack  on  the  besiegers  and  one  hundred  warriors 
of  them  were  slain.  They  returned  into  the  palace  after  that,  and 
raised  their  bloody  weapons  above  their  heads  in  it,  and  they  after- 
wards quenched  their  thirst  and  refreshed  themselves."  The  ancient 
tale  relates  a  number  of  personal  encounters  and  individual  deeds  of 
heroism  which  occurred  around  the  walls  of  the  fortress  during  the 
night.  When  "the  day  came  with  its  lustrous  lights  of  the  next 
morning  ...  it  was  then  they  took  their  shields  from  the  pins 
on  which  they  were  suspended,  and  their  javelins  from  their  rests,  so 
that  the  whole  palace  shook  terribly  and  roughly  by  the  noise  made 
by  the  four  battalions,  for  there  was  no  other  palace  like  that  palace." 
Omitting  much  of  the  tale  we  come  to  the  final  encounter  between 
Congal  and  his  rival  which  is  told  in  Homeric  style  and  presents  the 
strange  scene  of  Congal's  friend.s  rousing  his  fury  by  upbraiding  him 
with  cowardice: — "It  was  then  that  the  valour  and  fury  of 
Nabghodon  was  aroused.  ...  He  hastened  nobly  and  inimically 
where  Congal  was  in  the  battle,  and  both  champions  fought  with 
each  other,  and  their  combat  was  really  that  of  two  champions,  while 
they  displayed  the  courage  of  two  lions,  the  ferocity  of  two  bears,  and 
the  strength  of  two  oxen  during  their  conflict.  They  suffered  no 
person  to  approach  within  a  distance  of  thirty  feet  of  them  on  either 
side.  They  were  engaged  in  that  combat  from  the  dawn  of  early 
morning  until  the  close  of  the  day.  The  anger  and  animosity  of 
Nabghodon  against  Congal  increased  at  that  time,  when  all  the  poets, 
musicians,  women  and  children  of  the  city  were  near  them  looking  on 
the  fight,  and  Brione  was  likewise  there,  and  seeing  Congal  on  the 
point  of  being  vanquished,  Bricne  roared  so  loud  that  he  attracted 
the  attention  of  all  the  Ultonians  in  the  city  upon  him  and  he  said — 
'  Upon  thee,  O  Congal,  be  thy  trepidity,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that 


384  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

harbour  of  the  fort  of  the  hostages" — a  little  creek  into 
which,  in  calm  weather,  a  few  yawls  might  be  brought.  Its 
name,  however,  serves  to  indicate  that  the  neighbouring  fort 
was  used  as  a  place  for  guarding  hostages.  On  the  west  side 
of  the  stream  is  a  little   spot   named    Greenan,  the   most 

Feargus  MacLeide  has  banished  you  from  Ulster  in  consequence  of 
your  weakness  and  cowardice  ;  it  is  also  to  be  feared  that  Nabghodon 
will  cut  oflf  your  head  and  then  carry  off  your  wife.'  It  was  then 
Congal  assumed  his  own  strength  and  power,  and  he  made  a  furious 
blow  at  Nabghodoa  by  which  he  cleft  his  shield  completely  ;  he  made 
a  second  blow  at  him  by  which  he  severed  his  head  from  his  body, 
then  taking  up  the  head  in  his  hand  he  exhibited  it  before  the  whole 
army  of  Huardha,  which  smote  them  with  so  much  terror  that  they 
were  easily  vanquished.  They  had  a  very  short  way  to  pursue  in 
their  flight  unless  they  plunged  into  the  sea  ;  and  though  the  carnage 
on  the  field  of  battle  was  great,  it  was  much  greater  on  the  shore 
when  the  victorious  warriors  reached  the  shipping,  so  that  all  the 
army  of  Huardha  was  slain  by  Congal  and  his  people.  Their  heads 
were  piled  into  cairns  and  their  clothes  burned  into  ashes  in  that 
place.  .  .  .  They  passed  over  into  the  palace  after  that  and 
were  placed  in  well  glazed  grianans,  and  in  white,  extensive,  well- 
furnished  houses  ;  physicians  were  employed  to  heal  their  wounds  ; 
and  they  were  a  fortnight  over  a  month  in  the  residence  of  King 
Donn."  Congal  now  despatched  Bricne  son  of  Cairbre  and  another 
to  Emania  to  solicit  Feargus  MacLeide  and  the  chiefs  of  Ulster  to 
confer  a  tract  of  land  on  his  wife,  saying — "I  will  engage  as  a 
remuneration,  that  my  enmity  and  the  enmity  of  Fergus,  son  of  Rosa, 
shall  not  trouble  them. "  The  ambassadors  on  their  return  related 
the  success  of  their  mission — "He  has  given  the  cantrid  of  land 
nighest  her  father's  territory  down  as  far  as  Dun-Sobhairce  to  your 
wife."  Congal  was  glad  to  hear  this,  and  King  Donn  settled  his 
daughter  and  gave  her  a  great  deal  of  substance  ;  he  also  built  there 
a  fortress  for  her  called  Dun-Taise  ;  and  Dun-Taise  is  the  name  of 
that  whole  tract  of  country  still. " 

Whoever  wrote  this  tale  must  have  resJied  in  Rathlin  it  is  so 
faithful  to  the  topography,  though  everything  is  described  in  an 
exaggerated  style.  The  palace  prepared  by  Donn  for  his  son-in-law 
is  Doonbeg ;  the  grianan  of  Taise  is  Greenan  ;  the  harbour,  where 
Feargus   "'was  listening  to  the  murmur  of  the  sea  on  the  northern 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  385 

beautiful  of  the  many  beautiful  spots  on  the  island,  combin- 
ing the  grandest  features  of  ocean,  cliff,  and  cavern  scenery. 
At  the  distance  of  about  600  yards  west  of  Doonmore  is 
Doonbeg  which  seems  to  be  a  natural  mound  of  gravel,  while 
to  the  south  of  Doonmore  is  Crocknashanvan — "  the  hill  of 
the  old  women." 

CHURCHES. 

Mass  was  celebrated  under  the  shade  of  an  overhanging 
rock  in  a  mountain  grazing  in  Ballynagard ;  the  principal 
Mass  Station,  however,  was  at  a  large  stone  in  Kilpatrick. 
There  was  another  Mass  Station  in  a  hollow  place  named 
Lag-an-Sassanach — "  the  Englishman's  hollow,"  because  an 
English  blacksmith  had,  long  ago,  his  forge  there  ;  it  was, 
a  few  perches  north-east  of  Kilvoruan,  in  Knockans.  In  a 
note,  written,  apparently,  in  1785  to  one  of  Dr,  Hamilton's 
Letters,  which  was  written  July  27th  1784,  he  says  : — 

"  From  a  census  since  held  by  the  priest  of  the  island,  in  order  to 
lay  a  tax  of  one  shilling  on  each  person  above  the  age  of  sixteen  years, 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  mass-house,  it  appears  that  the  numbers 
amount  to  eleven  hundred  ;  there  are  one  hundred  and  forty  famiUes 
which,  therefore,  almost  average  at  the  rate  of  eight  persons  to  one 
family.  The  census  has  produced  a  great  deal  of  uneasiness  in  the 
island,  from  an  opinion  that  one  person  will  die  during  the  year  in 
each  family  so  numbered." 

side,"  is  Port-Doonnagialh  After  their  defeat,  the  invaders  "had 
a  very  short  way  to  pursue  in  their  flight  unless  they  plunged  into 
the  sea  ;"  the  harbour  is  about  400  yards  north  of  Doonmore,  the 
palace  of  King  Donn  ;  Crocknashanvan  is  where  the  women  witnessed 
the  fight.  The  Tow  river,  that  flows  along  the  western  side  of 
Knocklayd  into  the  harbour  of  Ballycastle  is  supposed  by  Mr.  Hill 
to  preserve  the  name  of  Taise.  Certainly  the  Four  Masters  call  the 
glen  Glen-taise  ;  the  palace  built  for  her  in  it  was  perhaps  the  great 
fort  in  Broommore  under  the  shadow  of  Knocklayd,  which  seems  still 
to  preserve  the  name  of  Leide,  whose  son,  Feargus  MacLeide,  wave 
to  Taise  all  the  territory  as  far  as  Dunseverick 

Z 


386  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

That  courageous  attempt  to  erect  "a  mass-liouse"  was  not 
successful,  but,  about  1816,  Mr.  Alexander  M'Donnell 
purchased  at  £4:8,  an  old  mill,  that  Father  Loughrey 
converted  into  a  little  church,  which,  when  it  was  enlarged 
was  48  feet  long,  18  feet  broad  and  14  feet  high  ;  and  across 
one  third  of  it  was  a  gallery  ;  nearly  all  its  timbers  had  been 
portions  of  vessels  ship-wrecked  on  the  island.  When  the  mill 
was  purchased  Mr.  Gage,  though  the  minister  of  the  island, 
ceded  his  landlord  rights  in  favour  of  bis  Catholic  tenantry. 
A  letter  written  by  Father  M'Kenny,  October  16th,  1845, 
states  that  "Dr.  Hugh  MacMullan  held  a  visitation  in  Rathlin, 
in  1782  ;  visitations  were  made  in  it  twice  by  Dr.  Patrick 
M'Mullan,  twice  by  Dr.  Crolly  and  once  by  Dr.  Denvir." 
Father  Michael  M'Cartan  erected  on  the  site  of  the  old  mill, 
or  church,  the  present  beautiful  little  church  which  was 
dedicated  by  Dr,  Dorrian  on  Tuesday  the  22nd  of  August, 
1865.     The  following  is  from  Waugh's  Irish  Sketches: 

"Until  the  year  1832  (1817)  the  Catholics  of  the  little  isle  had 
worshipped  God  in  a  hollow  on  the  mountain  side  ;  and  the  bishops  of 
the  diocese  administered  confirmation  under  the  shadow  of  a  lime- 
stone cliff.  In  the  year  1832  (should  be  1817)  an  old  deserted  mill 
was  procured,  and  there  the  Holy  Sacrifice  was  offered  up  until  the 
day  of  which  I  am  writing.  It  seems  that  for  many  years  previous 
this  old  mill — the  dilapidated  shelter  of  Catholic  worshippers  in  the 
isle  of  Rathlin,  had  been  sinking  into  utter  ruin,  and  therefore,  the 
pastor  of  the  island,  Father  Michael  M'Cartan,  girding  himself  reso- 
lutely to  the  work,  by  his  exertions,  the  sacrifice  of  his  people  and 
the  generosity  of  his  friends,  had  built  one  of  the  most  beautiful  little 
churches  to  be  found  in  the  diocese  of  Down  and  Connor.  To 
consecrate  the  church,  Dr.  Dorrian,  the  bishop  of  the  diocese, 
accompanied  by  the  Rev.  Canon  Keough,  of  Balbriggan,  a  large 
number  of  other  clergy  and  some  of  the  most  respectable  of  the 
Catholic  laity  of  the  contiguous  parts  of  Ireland,  crossed  the  waters 
on  the  day  when  it  was  my  fortune  first  to  visit  this  singular  spot,  in 
their  company,  and  as  the  newspapers  afterward  said — "  The  religious 
functions  and  the  appropriate  ceremonies  were  carried  out  in  the 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  387 

most  impressive  and  elaborate  manner.  Higli  Mass  was  chanted  by 
the  Eev.  Felix  Connoly  ot  Caledon,  Co.  Tyrone.  The  psalms, 
litanies,  &c.,  were  sung  in  a  most  superior  manner  by  the  Eev. 
Messrs.  Magill,  of  Saintfield,  M'Cartan,  of  Crossgar  (at  present  P.P., 
Saul),  and  Stewart,  of  Belfast  (now  P.P.,  Ahoghill).  Canon  Keough 
acted  as  Master  of  Ceremonies  and  the  Dedication  Sermon  was 
preached  by  the  Bishop."  And  it  was  the  dedication  of  the  little 
church  to  the  worship  of  God  under  the  invocation  of  Mary 
Immaculate,  of  which  I  became  accidentally  a  witness  that  day." 

Father  Laverty  is  at  present  engaged  in  the  erection  of  a 
very  beautiful  little  parochial  House,  on  a  site  leased  from 
Mr.  Gage  for  999  years  at  the  rent  of  15s.  per  annum;  Mr. 
Gage  has  also  granted  an  additional  plot  of  ground  at  5s.  per 
annum. 

PARISH  PRIESTS. 

We  have  seen,  that  in  anAent  times,  Rathlin  had  not  a 
parish  priest,  because  its  rectory  was  appropriate  to  the 
Abbey  of  Bangor ;  even  its  vicarage  seems  in  some  way  to 
have  been  united  with  the  parishes  of  Billy  and  Ballintoy. 
After  the  change  in  the  religion  of  the  state  the  church  was 
unable  to  keep  in  the  island  a  resident  priest.  In  the  roll  of 
the  priests  who  were  registered  in  1704  no  priest  is  entered 
for  Rathlin.  So  late  as  1845,  the  memory  of  a  friar, 
named  Bradley,  was  enshrined  in  the  traditions  of  Rathlin  ; 
to  him  was  ascribed  the  preservation  of  the  faith  in  the 
island  He  did  not  reside  in  it,  but  made  frequent  visits  to 
it ;  and  through  his  instrumentality  many  of  the  people,  who 
had  lapsed  into  Protestantism,  returned  to  the  religion  of 
their  fathers.  The  principal  harbourers  of  Friar  Bradley 
were  some  families  named  Black,  who  were  of  County  Down 
origin.  As  the  traditions  represent  his  visits  to  have  ceased 
considerably  before  17 GO,  he  may  have  been  Father 
Dominick  O'Brallaghan,  or  Bradley,  who  died  in  1746  (see 


388  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

p.  172).  "  The  island  was  visited  every  five  or  six  weeks  by 
the  parish  priest  of  Armoy  ;  in  the  Autumn  of  1760  Father 
Neeson  (it  is  not  certain  whether  his  name  was  Patrick  or 
John),  the  parish  priest  of  Armoy,  baptised  Michael  Black ;  his 
brother,  Aeneas  Black,  five  years  younger  is  my  informant. 
Mr.  Neeson  exchanged  parishes  with  Mr.  John  M'Cormick, 
P.P.,  Drummaul,  shortly  before  the  baptism  of  Aeneas  Black 
in  1765." — Letter  of  Father  M' Kenny.  The  report  presented 
to  the  House  of  Lords  in  1766  by  the  minister  which  is  now 
in  the  Record  Office,  Dublin,  says  : — 

"  There  is  no  Popish  Priest  nor  Friar  settled  in  ye  Island  but  we 
are  visited  once  a  month,  or  so,  by  ye  parish  priest  of  Armoy,  to 
which  parish  in  ye  Popish  Economy  this  has  been  always  annexed — 
Protestant  Families  28,  Papist  Families  92."  * 

*  The  names  given  of  the  Protestant  families  were — Walker,  1  ; 
M'Quilkin,  4;  M'Ahargey,  1  ;  M 'Arthur,  2;  M'Key,  1  ;  M'Quoig, 
6;  M'Causland,  1;  Horaghan,  1;  M'Cully,  1;  Weir,  4;  Hunter, 
1  ;  Dugal,  1  ;  M'Kinley,  1  ;  Rankin,  1. 

The  names  of  the  Catholic  families  were — M'Gillachrist,  6 ; 
M'Curdy,  35  ;  Morrison,  6 ;  M'Quilkin,  6  ;  M'Fall,  4;  Roy,  1 ;  Millar, 
8  ;  Rankin,  1  ;  Andrewson,  6 ;  M'Cay,  1 ;  Brallachan,  1 ;  M'Kermud, 
1  ;  M'Cargey  3  ;  M'Kinley,  1  ;  M'Currey,  1  ;  M'Gowan,  2  ;  Walsh, 
1  ;  M'Gregor,  1  ;  M'Keernan,  1 ;   Black,  14. 

The  names  of  the  Catholic  families  at  present  in  the  island  are — 
M'Curdy,  16  ;  Morrison,  4;  M'Quilkin,  3  ;  M'Fall,  5;  Anderson,  5; 
M'Kay,  2  ;  M'Kinlej ,  3  ;  Black,  4  ;  M'Couaig,  2 ;  Craig,  3  ;  Hunter, 
1  ;  Horan,  1  ;  M 'Arthur,  2  ;  M'MuUan,  1  ;  M'Cormick,  1  ;  Spence, 
1  ;  Thompson,  1.  In  addition  to  these  there  are  a  few  other  Catholic 
families  recently  settled  on  the  island. 

M'Quoig,  or  M'Couaig,  is  translated  on  the  mainland  into 
Fivey  because  the  Irish  word  Cuig  is  Five.  The  Blacks  say 
that  their  name  was  Maelduv.  Father  M 'Kenny  writing  in 
1845  says — There  are  in  this  island  three  races  of  people  called 
Black,  one  came  from  the  west  of  Ireland,  it  is  nearly  extinct 
and  is  likely  to  become  extinct  after  the  death  of  some  old  men  ; 
another  race  came  from  Scotland  and  became  Protestants  here ; 
and    a  third   race   is   descended  from   a   young  man  named   John 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  389 

The  report  sent  in  to  the  House  of  Lords  on  the  14th  of 
March,  1766,  by  Thomas  Vesey,  vicar  of  A.rmoy,  says  : — 
"  Mr.  John  M'Cormick,  the  priest  of  the  parish,  a  good, 
kind  man,  has  the  parishes  of  Armoy,  Ramoan,  Eaghlin, 
and  lives  in  Armoy  parish." 

"  Mr.  John  M'Cormick  was  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Cushendall, 
he  lived  in  Armoy  and  paid  visits  to  the  island  like  his  predecessors. 
He  was  a  (Franciscan)  friar  and  was  appointed  Preses  of  Bonamargy 
by  Dr.  Stewart ;  the  letter  of  his  appointment  written  by  Dr.  Stewart 
himself  is  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Denvir.  When  he  was  advanced 
in  years  he  resigned  Armoy  to  Mr.  Mathew  M'Larnon,  receiving  a 
small  pension  out  of  it  and  went  to  live  in  Rathlin  with  his  nephew, 
Archey  M'Donnell,  brother  of  the  Rev.  Daniel  M'Donnell  of  Cushen- 
dall, He  left  the  island  in  1781  in  a  state  of  dotage  with  one  cheek 
shaved,  the  other  was  shaved  in  Ballycastle,  and  went  to  reside  with 
his  nephew,  John  M'Donnell,  ia  Carey.  He  was  then  very  old  ; 
John  M'Donnell's  sons  are  stillliviug  in  the  parish  of  Culfeightrin  ; 
I  will  call  with  them  to  know  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  buried 
in  Bonamargy.  The  Rev.  Mathew  M'Larnon,  who  was  only 
Administrator  of  Armoy  during  M'Cormick's  life,  claimed  Rathlin 
at  M'Cormick's  resignation,  but  was  prevented  by  Mr.  Gage,  uncle 
to   the  present   Mr.    Gage.      He   only   attended  one  Sunday.*     A 

Black  who  came  here  from  the  County  of  Down  on  some  sea-faring 
business,  his  father,  Bernard,  afterwards  resided  with  him.  The 
last  of  John's  grandsons  died  in  the  year  1773  aged  84  years. 
M'Curdy,  says  Mr.  Hill,  is  evidently  a  contraction  iov  MacGilla- 
brighde,  "  son  of  the  servant  of  Brigid."  The  name  of  Somerled 
Mac  Gillabride,  the  great  thane  of  Argyle,  is  often  corrupted  by 
Norse  chroniclers  into  Sowrdy  MacIUurdy,  which  has  been  further 
altered  into  M'Curdy.  The  population  of  Rathlin  in  1841  was  1010  ; 
in  1851,  it  was  753  ;  in  1861,  it  was  453  ;  in  1871,  it  was  413  ;  and 
in  1881,  it  was  361,  of  whom  254  were  Catholics  and  107  were 
Protestants  ;  of  the  latter  3  were  Presbyterians. 

*  It  is  probable  that  Father  M'Larnon  attended  more  than  one 
Sunday.  He  seems  to  be  the  "Spanish  priest"  referred  to  in 
Hamilton's  Letter  on  Rathlin,  written  in  1784  :— "  They  (the  people 
of  Rathlin)  are  neither  grossly  superstitious,  nor  rank  bigots,  but 
have  been  known  to  hold  the  unchristian  doctrines  of  their  late 
Spanish  priest  in  great  contempt — nay,  in  cases  of  necessity,  they  do 


390  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

circumstance  occurred  that  should  not  be  forgotten  ;  when  Mr. 
M'Larnon  was  going  to  Rathlin  from  Ballycastle  he  was  going 
on  board  a  small  boat  belonging  to  Mr.  Gage,  the  rector  of 
the  island,  but  Mr.  Cubbage,  whose  nephews  are  still  living 
in  the  County  of  Antrim,  and  James  Gage,  the  landlord's  brother, 
seeing  M'Larnon  coming  with  his  vestments  ordered  him  to  go 
out  and  take  his  budget  with  him.  He  did  so  and,  to  express  his 
contempt  for  them,  he  threw  the  dust  from  his  shoes  after  them. 
The  boat  and  crew  were  lost  but  M'Larnon  in  consequence  was 
rejected.  A  young  priest  from  Cushendun,  named  Charles  M'llhern, 
officiated  for  about  eighteen  weeks  when  he  went  home  and  died  of 
consumption.  The  Eev.  James  Fegan  from  near  Newry,  in  the 
diocese  of  Dromore,  resided  here  about  two  years  as  Administrator  ; 
he  was  appointed  about  1780  and  left  in  1782  being  appointed  to  the 
district  of  Bushmills  where  he  buiit  a  chapel.  Dr.  Hugh  MacMullau 
held  a  visitation  in  the  island  in  1782  and  on  that  occasion  appointed 
Mr.  Charles  M'Aulay,  who  had  been  parish  priest  of  Longhguile. 
He  died  on  the  island  on  the  23rd  of  October,  1785,  he  was  buried  in 
Bonamargy — a  grave  was  opened  for  him  in  Rathlin,  but  his 
friends  came  and  brought  his  body  to  Bonamargy,  and  the  grave  in 
Rathlin  never  was  closed.  He  was  succeeded  by  a  Mr.  John 
M'Neill,  a  native  of  Carey.  He  disputed  with  Mr.  Gage  and  was 
turned  out  of  the  island  after  five  or  six  years.*  Mr.  M'Mullan  of 
Loughinisland  can  inform  you  of  this  point,  as  the  Rev.  Edward 
M'Mullan,  late  of  Strangford,  was  his  successor.  Mr.  M'Neill 
afterwards  officiated  as  curate  in  Cary  or  Culfeightrin  with  old  Mr. 
M'Mullan,  and  on  his  decease  expected  the  parish  but  being 
disappointed  he  gave  opposition  to  Mr.  Brennan  and  was  suspended  ; 
he  died  there  degraded.     The  Rev.  Edward  'b.V'Mu.llan— Black  Ned, 

not  scruple  to  apply  for  assistance  to  the  Protestant  minister."  If 
the  last  statement  be  true  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  minister 
was  also  their  landlord — a  circumstance  which,  in  some  cases,  would 
produce  such  an  efi"ect. 

*  Hamilton'^  Letter  says: — "A  common  and  heavy  curse  among 
them  is — '  May  Ireland  soon  be  your  latter  end.'  "  And  the  author 
of  the  Ouide  to  the  GianVs  Causeway  adds: — "The  island  is  the 
property  of  Mr.  Gage  .  .  .  this  gentleman  is  completely  lord  of 
the  isle,  and  banishes  his  subject  to  the  continent  of  Ireland  for 
misconduct,  or  repeated  offences  against  his  laws."  The  present  Mr. 
Gage  pretends  to  none  of  those  high  prerogatives,  and  is  popular  both 
as  a  landlord  and  as  a  magistrate. 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  391 

as  he  was  called  -was  parish  priest  until  June  the  7th,  1798.  He 
was  not  allowed  the  use  of  a  house  or  bed  the  last  three  weeks 
of  his  stay  here.  He  was  supposed  to  be  a  United  Irishman,  was 
taken  prisoner  by  Captain  Boyd,  of  Bally  castle,  and  brought  to 
Ballycastle.  He  got  his  release  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Edmund 
M'Eldouney,  grand  uncle  of  the  present  man  of  that  name.  He 
bailed  Father  Ned  that  he  would  never  set  his  foot  again  in  the 
County  of  Antrim,  These  were  the  terms  of  his  liberation  ;  they 
were  not  painful.  Mr.  Neal  Loughery  at  that  period  was  curate  in 
Cary  ;  he  only  visited  the  island  at  first  and  was  in  the  end 
appointed  and  continued  to  be  parish  priest  of  it  for  thirty-three 
years.  He  died  near  Ballymoney  with  his  relatives  the  May  prior 
to  Michael  Murray's  appointment.  (After  resigning  through  old  age 
he  died  in  December,  1834).  Mr.  Murray  came  here  from  the  curacy 
of  Cary  on  the  5th  of  May.  Had  he  lived  till  May  he  would  be 
eleven  years  here. — Letter  of  Father  Francis  M' Kenny  to  Mr.  Hanna, 
dated  Isle  of  Rathlin,  August  \2th,  1845. 

A  Memorandum  in  the  handwriting  of  Dr.  Patrick  Mac 
Mullan  states  that  Father  Loughry  was  ordained  in  1796  m 
the  first  ordination  held  by  him. 

Father  Michael  Murray  was  born,  in  1792,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Portglenone.  After  having  been  for  some  time  engaged 
in  commercial  pursuits  in  Dublin,  he  entered  the  Logic  Class 
in  the  College  of  Maynooth  on  the  23rd  of  S-jptember,  1815? 
and  was  ordained  at  Pentecost,  1820.  After  being  curate  in 
several  parishes  he  was  appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Culfeigh- 
trin,  from  which  he  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Rathlin 
in  May,  1834,  where  he  officiated  until  his  death,  on  the  18th 
of  January,  1844.  His  remains  were  interred  under  the 
altar  of  the  old  church,  and  are  now  under  the  altar  in  the 
new  church.  The  remains  of  no  other  priest,  in  modern  times, 
have  been  interred  in  the  Island.  Father  Laverty  erected 
in  the  chuich  a  tablet  bearing  the  following  inscription  : — 

Of  your  charity  pray  for  the  soids  of  Rev.  Michael  Murray,  parish 
priest  of  Rathlin,  who  died  \8th  Januai-y,   1884,  and  is  interred  in 


392  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR, 

this  church,  and  of  Rev.  Michael  M'Cartan,  ivho  rebuilt  this  church, 
A.D.  1864,  and  died  parish  priest  of  Portglenone,  22nd  February, 
1877,  aged  57  years.    JRequiescant  in  Pace. 

The  Rev.  Francis  M 'Kenny  was  the  succeeding  parish 
priest.  He  was  born  in  the  townland  of  Ballylough,  parish 
of  Kilmegan,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1792.  He  was 
ordained  by  Dr.  Patrick  M'Mullan  at  Pentecost,  1816, 
along  with  the  Kev.  Heniy  Gribbin,  Rev.  John  Hegarty 
and  Eev.  Francis  Reilly.  He  afterwards  studied  in  France, 
and,  on  his  return,  was  appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Ballykinlar, 
and  thence  to  the  curacy  of  Culfeightrin  in  the  summer  of 

1843.  He  was  appointed  to  Rathlin  on  the  28th  of  January, 

1844.  Father  M'Kenny  relinquished  the  charge  of  the 
island  on  the  18th  of  July,  1846,  and  accepted  of  the  curacy 
of  Ballymena,  from  which  he  was  appointed  to  the  curacy 
of  Drummaul.  When  there  he  officiated  at  a  marriage 
between  a  Catholic  and  a  Protestant,  which  in  those  days 
was  a  criminal  offence,  and  to  avoid  the  effects  of  the  law 
he  went  to  the  United  States  of  America,  where,  after  some 
years  of  missionary  duties,  he  died. 

Father  M'Kenny  was  succeeded  in  Rathlin  by  Father 
Philip  Connolly,  a  priest  belonging  to  the  diocese  of  Armagh, 
who  was  ordained  for  that  diocese  in  Belfast  by  Dr.  Denvir 
on  the  5th  of  May,  1842.  He  was  appointed  to  the  curacy 
of  Ballymena  where  he  remained  until  the  18th  of  July, 
1846,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  parish  of  Rathlin 
vacated  by  Father  M'Kenny,  who  replaced  him  in  Bally- 
mena. Father  Connolly  was  parish  priest  of  Rathlin  until 
the  4th  ot  March,  1853,  when  he  was  recalled  to  his 
native  diocese  and  appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Aghaloo. 

Father  Alexander  M'Mullan  was  appointed  to  the  vacant 
parish  on  the  4th  of  Mai'ch,  1853,  which  he  held  until  the 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  393 

14th  of  October,  1856,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  parish 
of  Coleraine  (see  p.  252.) 

The  next  parish  priest  was  Father  Michael  M'Cartan. 
He  was  a  native  of  the  townland  of  Dromena,  in  the  parish  of 
Kilcoo ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  Logic 
Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  August  25th  1838  ;  was 
ordained  in  the  College  Chapel  by  Dr.  Murray,  on  the  10th 
of  June,  1843 ;  was  appointed  curate  of  Glenavy,  from, 
which  he  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Derryaghy  in  1848; 
he  left  the  parish  in  1855,  through  sickness,  and  after  his 
recovery  he  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Rathlin  on  the 
14th  of  October,  1856.  He  had  the  the  misfortune  somehow 
to  displease  the  landlord  of  the  island,  and,  in  consequence,  he 
could  not  find  a  parishioner  courageous  enough  to  let  to  him 
a  lodging ;  but  Father  M'Cartan,  being  determined  to  hold 
his  own,  called  on  the  sergeant  of  the  Constabulary  and 
demanded  that  he  should  find  for  him  a  lodging  at  least  as 
a  traveller.  The  sergeant  billetted  him  in  the  only  Public 
House  in  the  island ;  one  day,  however,  shortly  aftewards, 
on  returning  from  a  sick  call  the  priest  found  his  trunk  out- 
side the  house  and  an  intimation,  that  he  must  find  a  lodging 
elsewhere.  There  happened  to  be  at  that  time  a  farmer  named 
Christy,  who  was  at  law  with  the  landlord  ;  with  this  man 
Father  M'Cartan  entered  into  a  league  of  mutual  protection. 
At  length,  however,  the  storm  blew  past  and  the  priest  and 
landlord  became  friends.  He  erected  the  beautiful  little 
church  of  the  island  which  was  dedicated  under  the  invoca- 
tion of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  the  Immaculate,  on  the 
22nd  of  August,  1865.  He  was  appointed  to  the  parish  of 
Ahoghill  in  October,  1866  ;  from  which  he  was  appointed 
to  the  parish  of  Portglenone  in  January  1877,  where  he 
died  on  the  22nd  of  the  next  month. 


394  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

The  Rev.  John  Punn  succeeded  Father  M'Cartan.  Father 
Dunn  was  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Ballygarrett  in  the 
County  of  Wexford  ;  he  studied  in  the  colleges  of  Wexford 
and  Kilkenny,  was  ordained  in  Maynooth  College  by  Dr. 
Murray  at  Pentecost,  1847.  At  the  same  time  Father 
James  Keating,  at  present  parish  priest  of  Lower  Mourne, 
and  Father  William  Kehoe  who  died  curate  of  Ardkeen, 
who  had  affiliated  along  with  him  for  Down  and  Connor 
from  the  diocese  of  Ferns,  were  ordained.  Father  Dunn 
was  appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Cistlewellan,  from  which  he 
was  appointed,  in  1849,  Administrator  of  Armoy  and  after- 
wards became  its  parish  priest ;  he  was  appointed  to  the 
parish  of  Rathlin  in  October,  1866.  Having  fallen  into 
bad  health  he  resigned  the  parish  in  July,  1877,  and  after 
officiating  some  time  in  Newcastle,  Co.  Down,  he  returned 
to  his  native  parish. 

On  the  resignation  of  Father  Dunn,  the  Bishop,  Dr. 
Dorrian,  in  consequence  of  the  many  inconveniences  of  the 
mission  of  E-athlin,  considered  it  more  prudent  to  appoint 
for  the  future  a  junior  clergyman  as  administrator  or  tem- 
porary parish  priest,  and  to  relieve  him  of  his  charge  after 
twelve  or  thirteen  months  incumbency.  Father  Bernard 
Falloona  was  the  first  appointed  under  the  new  arrangement. 

Father  Bernard  Falloona  was  born  in  February,  1854,  in 
Ballybranagh,  parish  of  Bailee;  entered  the  Diocesan  College, 
February  15th,  1872;  entered  1st  year's  Class  of  Theology 
in  the  College  of  Maynooth  in  September,  1875 ;  was 
ordained  in  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian  on  the  25th 
of  March,  1877  ;  appointed  curate  of  Culfeightrin  in  April, 
1877  ;  appointed  Administrator  of  Rathlin  in  July,  1877  ; 
appointed  curate  of  Dunloy  in  July  1878  ;  appointed  to  the 
Diocesan  College,  March  2nd,   1881  ;  appointed  cm-ate    of 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RATHLIN.  395 

Lower  Mourne,  September  8th,  1881;  curate  of  Castlewellan, 
February  10th,  1883;  curate  of  Ballymacarrett,  May  8th, 
1886. 

Father  Rogers  (see  p.  348)  succeeded  Father  Falloona  and 
had  charge  of  the  island  from  the  1st  August,  1878,  until 
May  1st,  1879,  when  Father  Headly  was  appointed. 

The  Rev.  Robert  J.  Headly  was  born  in  Belfast ;  entered 
the  Physic  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth  in  September, 
1876  ;  was  ordained  by  Dr.  Dorrian  in  St.  Malachy's  Church, 
Belfast,  April  loth,  1879;  was  appointed  to  the  charge  of 
Rathlin,  May  1st,  1879,  and  oh  the  1st  of  August,  1880, 
was  appointed  one  of  the  curates  of  Downpatrick.  He  was 
succeeded  in  Rathlin  by  Father  O'Neill. 

The  Rev.  James  K.  O'Neill  was  born  on  the  25th  of 
October,  1857,  in  Ballypatrick,  parish  of  Culfeightrin  ; 
entered  the  Diocesan  College  in  February,  1872  ;  entered 
the  Class  of  Divinity  in  the  College  of  Maynooth  in  Septem- 
ber, 1875.  Being  under  age  for  ordination  when  he  had 
finished  his  theological  studies,  he  taught  classics  in  the 
Diocesan  College  from  June,  1879,  until  July,  1880;  was 
ordained  in  Randalstown  by  Dr.  Dorrian  in  May,  1880  ; 
was  appointed  to  the  charge  of  Rathlin,  August  1st,  1880  ; 
was  appointed  curate  of  Glenravel,  August,  1st,  1881  ; 
curate  of  Derryaghy  in  Novembei",  1881  ;  curate  of  St. 
Patrick's,  Belfast,  in  July  1885. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Beatson  succeeded  Father  O'Neill  in 
Rathlin.  Father  Beatson  was  born  on  the  17th  of  December, 
1855,  in  the  townland  of  Commoran,  parish  of  Duneane ; 
entered  the  Diocesan  College,  September  8th,  1871  ;  entered 
the  Class  of  Theology  in  the  College  of  Coutances  in  Nor- 
mandy, October  2nd,  1877;  was  ordained  by  Dr.  M'Cabe, 
of  Dublin,  June  29th,  1881  ;  appointed  to  Rathlin,  August 


396  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

1st,  1881 ;  appointed  curate  of  Portglenone,  October  4th, 
1883;  curate  of  Kirkcubbin,  August  1st,  1884;  curate  of 
St.  Joseph's,  Belfast,  October  3rd,  1885,  Father  Beatson 
was  succeeded  in  Rathlin  by  Father  Laverty. 

The  Bev.  Francis  Laverty  was  born  in  October,  1857,  in 
Larne;  entered  the  Diocesan  College,  October  1st,  1878; 
entered  the  Class  of  2nd  year's  Philosophy  in  the  Irish 
College,  Paris,  in  September,  1880 ;  was  ordained  in  St. 
Malachy's  College  by  Dr.  Dorrian  on  the  23rd  of  September, 
1883,  and  was  appointed  to  the  charge  of  Rathlin,  October 
1st,  1883. 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN. 


THE  parish  of  Ramoan,  or  Ballycastle,  consists   of   the 
civil  parish  of  Ramoan*  and  a  portion  of  the  townland 
of  Coolmaghera  belonging  to  the  civil  parish  of  Ballintoy. 

The  castle  of  Kinban— '■  the  white  head  "—that  guarded 
the  limestone  promontory  from  which  it  is  named,  occupies 
a  bold  position  over  the  chasm  separating  that  promontory 
from  the  mainland.  At  present  little  remains  of  the  fortress 
except  a  part  of  the  keep,  the  remains  of  the  gateway,  and 
fragments  of  the  courtyard  and  of  the  walls  that  once  guarded 

*A  small  part  of  the  Quay  of  Ballycastle,  consisting  of  three  or  four 
houses  along  the  road  leading  to  Ballycastle  and  twice  as  many  along 
the  quay,  belongs  to  the  parish  of  Culfeightrin,  because  the  Shesk 
river,  before  it  was  diverted  from  its  ancient  course,  flowed  between 
it  and  the  town  of  Ballycastle,  The  boundary  is  said  to  be  under  an 
arched  gateway  leading  into  a  yard.  It  is  said  that  this  strange 
arrangement  was  made  by  the  Bishop  at  the  instance  of  the  late 
Edmund  MacGildowney  who,  having  a  carriage,  was  desirous  of 
driving  to  Mass  in  Culfeightrin.  That  carriage  is  somewhat  histori- 
cal ;  Mr.  Connolly,  the  minister  of  Ramoan,  in  his  account  of  that 
parish,  printed  a,d,  1816,  in  Mason's  Parochial  Survey,  says :— "  This 
town  (Ballycastle)  is  the  residence  of  three  magistrates,  who  are 
generally  grand  jurors;  tlmj  keep  carriages  and  have  handsome 
fortunes  ;  their  names  are  Ezekiel  Devis  Boyd,  uncle  to  the  proprietor, 
Edmund  MacGildowney  and  Alexander  MacNeill,  Esqs."  Edmund 
(commonly  called  Munn)  M'Gildowney  belonged  to  a  Highland 
amily,  MacOiolla  Domhnalgh—"  Son  of  the  Servant  of  the  Lord  ;" 
he  was  a  Catholic,  but  his  mother  being  a  Protestant  brought  up  her 
other  sons  Protestants. 


398  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

the  edges  of  the  cliflf.  At  the  base  of  the  headland  is  Lag- 
na-Sassanach — "  the  hollow  of  the  English  " — where,  it  is 
said,  an  English  force  once  encamped  to  besiege  the  castle, 
but  the  garrison,  having  sailed  out  at  night,  occupied  the 
height  above  the  camp  and  rolled  over  the  precipices  masses 
of  rock  with  which  they  crushed  the  enemy.  Tradition, 
which  in  matters  of  this  kind  is  a  very  fallacious  guide, 
ascribes  the  erection  of  the  castle  to  the  Mac  Henrys,  and 
states  that  it  afterwards  became  the  stronghold  of  the 
MacAlisters,  a  branch  of  the  MacDonnells.  Sir  Thomas 
Cusake  in  his  letter  written — "  From  Lessmoolin,  the  27th 
September,  1551,"  describes  the  defacement  of  the  castle 
by  the  Lord  Deputy,  Sir  James  Crofts  : — 

"Coll  M'Connyll  (M'Donnell),  second  brother  to  James,  had  a 
strong  castill  buylded  upon  a  rock,  with  a  strong  baan  (bawn)  of 
lyme  and  stoon,  over  the  sea,  named  the  castill  of  Keanbaan,  which 
my  Lord  causid  to  be  defaced,  and  brake  much  parte  thairof,  so  as 
now  it  is  not  defensible,  which  I  am  sure  thai  neid  had  for  soe  muche 
more  displeasir  doon  to  thaim." 

Coila  MacDonnell  soon  repaired  his  fortress  of  Kinbann  and 
held  it  till  his  death  in  May,  1558. 

Carnmoon  is  named  from  an  ancient  cairn,  the  site  of 
which  is  entered  on  the  Ordnance  Map,  but  it  has  long  since 
been  destroyed.  The  site  of  the  fortress  of  Dunagregar  is  a 
promontory,  of  an  immense  height  above  the  sea,  in  the  town- 
land  of  Carnduff.  It  measures  from  east  to  west  40  yards, 
and  from  north  to  south  30  yards ;  but  it  was  formerly  much 
larger  before  some  of  the  rocks  on  which  it  stood  had  fallen 
into  the  sea,  that  surrounded  it  on  all  sides  except  the  south, 
where  it  was  protected  by  a  strong  wall  and  deep  trench. 
The  walls  which  were  of  great  thickness  have,  from  time  to 
time  during  the  last  120  years,  served  for  a  quarry  until 
castle,  trench,  and  paved  causeway,  have  all  disappeared.    A 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  399 

gold  ring  of  large  size  and  some  silver  coins  were  found  on 
the  site.  It  is  said  that  the  castle  was  held  by  three  brothers 
named  M'Gregor.  The  site  of  the  cairn,  which  gave  name 
to  the  townland,  is  585  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
James  Mullan  found  in  1833  a  bronze  sword  in  this  town- 
land.  There  is  in  his  farm  an  artificial  cave  in  which  there 
is  a  spring  of  water.  There  are  several  artificial  caves  in 
Carnmoon  and  in  the  adjoining  townland  of  Clare.  One  in 
the  farm  of  Mr.MacGi]downey,in  Clare,  is  very  extensive  and 
contains  several  rooms.  A  similar  cave  is  in  the  farm  of 
Mr.  George  M'Curdy  but  it  is  now  closed.  About  1838, 
"a  gold  vessel  much  resembling  a  small  bell,  having  on  its 
top  a  sort  of  staple  or  handle  and  weighing  4|  ounces, 
was  found  in  Clare  Park  by  Alexander  Stewart,  a  labourer. 
It  was  sold  for  him  in  Dublin  for  14  guineas  by  Charles 
MacGildowney,  Esq." — See Ord.  Surv.  MS*  It  was  probably 
one-half  of  a  fibula.  There  formerly  stood  in  the  farm  of 
John  M'Curdy  a  castle  of  considerable  extent,  named  Clare 
Castle.  It  is  said  to  have  been  erected  by  the  first  of  the 
MacNeill  family.— -Ord  Surv.  MS.  ''The  forty  acres  of 
Clare  Castle  "  did  not  belong  to  Hugh  MacNeill,  they  are 
mentioned  in  the  Decree  of  Innocence  as  having  been  assigned, 
in  1629,  by  Randal,  Earl  of  Antrim,  to  trustees  for  the 
jointure  of  his  countess. 

On  the  summit  of  a  bold  promontory,  that  rises  to  a  fear- 
ful height  above  the  sea,  stand  the  shattered  remains  of  the 
fortress  of  Doonaneeny  {Dun-an-aenaighe — "  the  fort  of  the 

*  June  20th,  1808,  a  poor  man  found,  in  Eamoan  parisli,  a  rod  of 
gold  38  inches  long,  weighing  20^  ozs.  avoirdupois,  having  a  hook 
at  each  end.  "  The  rod  was  divided  into  three  distinct  virgce  which 
were  closely  twisted  together  in  the  manner  of  a  toasting  fork." — 
Letter  of  Rev.  L.  A.  Connolly  to  the  Belfast  Magazine.  It  was  a 
gold  torque. 


400  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

assembly  or  fair.")  The  area  on  which,  the  castle  stood  is 
a  smooth  level,  measuring  from  east  to  west  60  yards,  and 
from  north  to  south  35  yai"ds.  It  was  surrounded  by  the 
sea  on  all  sides  except  the  south,  where  it  was  protected  by 
a  moat  extending  from  east  to  west  80  yards,  cut  chiefly 
through  the  solid  rock.  This  trench  is  from  20  to  26  feet 
wide  at  the  top,  and  averages  10  feet  in  width  at  the  bottom, 
and  is  from  13  to  26  feet  deep.  This  was  crossed  by  a 
drawbridge — the  only  entrance — which  from  some  indica- 
tions seems  to  have  been  about  7^  feet  broad  and  20  feet 
long.  The  gate  tower  was  28  feet  long,  and  the  doorway 
seems  to  have  been  5  feet  wide ;  on  the  east  side  of  it  within 
the  thickness  of  the  wall  is  an  apartment  3|  feet  wide,  8| 
feet  long.  On  the  west  side  of  the  gateway  is  a  small 
watch  room.  Part  of  the  bolt-hole  and  a  loop-hole  remain. 
The  gate-tower  advances  3  feet  8  inches  farther  than  the  line 
of  the  curtain  walls,  which  extend  1 1  feet  on  either  side  of  the 
gate-tower.  The  highest  part  of  the  wall  now  remaining  is 
only  12^  feet,  and  every  vestige  of  the  castle  which  stood 
within  the  fortified  area  has  disappeared.  Large  quantities 
of  human  bones  and  broken  steel  swords,  with  large  guards^ 
have  been  from  time  to  time  discovered  in  removing  portions 
of  the  castle.  The  chieftains  of  the  MacDonnells  made  this 
one  of  their  principal  strongholds,  and  from  it  they  could 
watch  their  galleys  gliding  into  Port  Brittas,  almost  at  its 
base.  It  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English  in  Perrot's 
expedition,  and  William  Stanley  writes  to  his  "verey 
lovinge  cozen.  Sir  Henry  Bagenall,  Knight,"  from  the  fort 
"of  Donanany,  this  5th  Janewary,  1584,"  telling  him 
of  the  attack  made  on  the  English  garrison  located  in  the 
abbey  of  Bunamargy  and  that,  "  when  Captayn  Bo  wen's 
company  came  we  caused  them  to  lodge  at  the  fort  Don- 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  401 

anynie,"  and  tells  that  the  captain  had  of  his  men  "  nyne  in 
the  ward  of  Donanany."  When  the  old  fort  passed  by 
charter  with  their  other  possessions  to  the  MacDonnells, 
they  appointed  Hugh  MacNeill,  one  of  their  retainers  from 
Gigha,  or  Cantix'e,  to  be  its  constable.  In  1612  Sir  Randal 
granted  Dunaneeny,  together  with  the  Ballycastle  estate,  to 
the  constable.  In  1606  Sir  Randal  obtained  by  charter  the 
right  of  holding  a  Tuesday's  market  at  '*  Dunanynie."  The 
markets  and  fairs  were  held  in  the  fields  to  the  south  of  the 
old  fortress  but  all  have  been  transferred  to  Ballycastle.* 

In  the  farm  of  George  M'Curdy,  in  Gortaconny,  there  is 
a  cave  about  64  feet  in  length  consisting  of  several  apart- 
ments, cut  through  the  solid  rock  and  roofed  with  flag- stones. 
James  M'llmoyle  has  several  stone  arrow-heads  called  Elf 
stones  that  were  found  in  this  townland  ;  he  keeps  them  "  for 
the  cure  of  elf  shot  cattle. "t 

A  gold  pin  was  found  in  1825  in  a  bog  in  Gortaconny  ; 
it  was  taken  to  America.  Many  other  antiquities  have 
been  found  in  the  same  bog  which  is  in  the  vicinity  of 
Carnsaggart;  tlie  site  of  the  earn  is  492  teet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  The  cairn  was  destroyed  about  1795,  and 
in  it  was  found  a  whinstone  flag  which  now  (1838)  lies  in  a 

*The  six  annual  fairs  in  this  parish  are  all  held  in  Ballycastle  ;  on 
Easter  Tuesday,  on  the  last  Tuesday  in  May,  last  Tuesday  of  July, 
last  Tuesday  of  August,  3rd  and  27th  of  November." — Mason's 
Parochial  Survey. 

i-Sick  cattle  are  supposed  to  have  been  shot  by  fairies  with  the  stone 
arrow-heads  that  are  so  frequently  found  in  the  fields.  The  hole, 
which  the  arrow  made,  can  be  felt  in  the  flesh  of  the  cow  though  the 
skin  does  not  seem  to  be  pierced.  The  cure  is,  a  drink  of  hot  water 
and  oatenmeal  given  to  the  cow  out  of  a  vessel  in  which  is  placed  a 
number  of  stone  arrow-heads — perhaps  the  hot  drink  would  cure 
without  the  arrow-heads,  but  many  people  in  the  County  of  Antrim 
do  not  think  so. 


402  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

fence  along  the  road  ;  it  is  3  feet  2  inches  long,  2  feet  4 
inches   broad,   and    9  inches  thick ;  it  formerly  was  much 
longer  but  was  broken  when  it  was  removed  from  its  original 
position   in    the   cairn.      It  rested  on  a  number  of  stone 
supporters.     It  is  said  that  "  there  was  on  the  top  surface  of 
it  a  Latin  inscription  with  other  devices,  but  the  inscriptions 
have   been   altogether   destroyed  by   people  rubbing  other 
stones  across  it."     It  is  said  that  several  priests  were  here 
killed,  hence  the  name  Carnsaggart — "  the  Priests'  Cairn." 
About  a  furlong  west  of  it  was  "  the  Priests'  Well,"  now 
closed  up  with  stones. — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS.     The  cairn  was 
obviously  a  sepulchral  monument ;  it  was  one  of  the  places 
at  which  Mass  was  celebrated  in  times  of  persecution,  hence, 
probably,  its  name.     There  formerly  stood,  on  an  eminence 
iu  the  farm  of  Robert  Woodside,   a  very  large  Standing 
Stone,  which  was  removed  to  Ballycastle  and  built  into  the 
harbour  ;  at  the  same  time  there  was  placed  beside  it  another 
huge  monumental  stone,  which  was  removed  from  Gary  ;  and 
thus  was  fulfilled  one  of  the  prophecies  ascribed  by  popular 
belief  to  the  famous  Black  Nun  of  Bunamargy,  who,  a  cen 
tury  before,  had  foretold  their  future  union. — See  Ord.  Surv. 
MS.     There  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  Duncan  Black,  in 
Novally.     On  the  Ordnance  Map  a  mound   named   Dunfinn 
is  entered  in  the  townland  of  Carnsampson.      The  MS.  says  : 
"  There  is,  in  the  farm  of  William  Bailey,  a  small  mound 
called  Knocknahullar  (the  eagle's  hill),  but  it  is  now  reduced 
to  a  mere  ruin.     In  Robert  Hill's  farm  there  was  a  strong 
fort,  locally  called  '  the  Trench,'  under  which   was  a  cave. 
The  fort  is  now  greatly  disfigured  by  houses  and  gardens." 
In  the  townland  of  Carnealty  there  is  an  extensive  cave  in 
William  Hill's  farm.     In  another  cave  in  John  Hill's  farm 
were  found  hearths  and  ashes  :  these  caves  are  now  closed 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN,  403 

up.  John  Hill  found  on  his  farm  ancient  plough  irons  of 
strange  construction.  There  was  in  this  farm  a  mound  or 
fort,  on  the  top  of  which  was  a  pavement,  5  feet  long  and  2 
feet  broad,  covered  by  about  two  feet  depth  of  soil.  In  1835 
Francis  Todd  discovered  beneath  the  surface  of  a  small  hill, 
"  a  vault  of  the  size  and  shape  of  a  tea-chest  the  top  of  which 
was  covered  by  a  large  flag  ;  in  the  vault  was  an  ornamented 
earthen  urn  in  which  were  bones  and  ashes.  There  was 
also  found  in  it  a  book  about  the  size  of  a  small  bible ;  it 
was  bound  and  had  on  the  back  gilt  letters.  He  took  the 
book  from  the  urn  and  attempted  to  examine  it  but  it  fell 
into  dust,  and  the  urn  and  bones  also  mouldered  down  when 
exposed  to  the  air." — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

In  the  townland  of  Turraloskin  was  an  old  cemetery, 
called  Kilnacrue,  where  were  the  ruins  of  a  small  chapel, 
and,  about  7  yards  from  them,  a  stone  5^  feet  high,  called 
the  Priest's  Stone,  which  bore  the  figure  of  a  cross. — Reeveis 
Eccl.  Antiq.  p.  386.  Cill-na-cru — "horse-shoe  church  or 
graveyard,"  was  so  named  from  the  shape  of  its  cemetery 
which  contained  about  a  rood  of  ground  and  was  sui-rounded 
by  a  broad  wall  of  dry  stones.  It  is  in  the  farm  of  Samuel 
Hill,  and  is  situated  in  a  valley,  about  a  furlong  north-west  of 
the  old  load  from  Bally  castle  to  Bally  mony.  The  stone  on 
which  the  cross  is  incised  is  to  the  south  of  the  site  of  the 
church.  The  cross  is  incised  about  half  an  inch  deep  on  the 
south-west  side  of  the  stone  and  is  3  feet  long  and  13  inches 
across  the  shoulders.  At  the  foot  of  the  cross  stood  some 
stone  construction  beneath  which  were  found  five  oval  shaped 
stones  each  about  the  size  of  a  large  egg  and  quartered  on  the 
surface  like  the  petrified  sea-urchins.  Between  the  church 
and  the  cross  stood  the  supposed  ruins  of  three  altars,  each 
about  one  yard  square  on  the  top.    On  the  north-east  side  of 


404  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

the  cross  were  the  remains  of  several  small  houses  in  which 
were  paved  hearths  and  ashes.  About  50  yards  south  of 
the  cross  is  the  Kille  Well  to  which  is  ascribed  the  virtue  of 
stopping  vomiting  and  of  curing  several  other  diseases. 
"  This  well  flitted  50  yards  from  its  original  site,  about  80 
years  ago,  in  consequence  of  a  woman  having  \?ashed  her  feet 
in  it."  About  30  yards  west  of  the  cross  is  one  of  the  usual 
artificial  caves  but  it  is  at  present  closed.  The  farmer  who 
destroyed  these  ancient  erections  placed  the  cross  over  a  ford 
but  was  afterwards  obliged  to  re-erect  it  on  its  old  site. 
"  He  and  his  family  express  much  regret  for  having  meddled 
with  the  old  graveyard  for  he  is  the  principal  sufferer  having 
sustained  many  losses  and  being  tormented  with  bodily 
pains.  Informants — Samuel  Hill,  Robert  Thompson,  Adam 
Boal  and  others." — Ord.  Surv.  MS.,  written  A.D.  1838. 

In  Moyargat  Upper  there  is,  in  the  farm  of  Andrew  Sharpe, 
a  cave,  said  to  be  about  40  yards  in  length,  consisting  of 
several  apartments  connected  with  the  usual  pipe-like 
passages  ;  the  walls  and  roof  are  the  natural  rock  but  the 
connecting  passages  are  built  with  sandstone.  A  well 
within  the  entrance  of  this  cave  supplies  the  neighbouring 
village  with  water.  In  Moyargat  Lower  is  a  remarkable 
well  named  Falkeel  Well ;  in  this  townland  there  is  a  cave 
more  than  120  yards  in  length  divided  into  sundry  rooms, 
each  from  3  to  5  feet  high  and  4  feet  wide  ;  its  walls  are 
built  with  field  stones.  In  it  weie  found  five  hearths  on 
which  were  ashes;  it  must  therefore  have  been  occupied 
during  some  temporary  dangerous  time  by  a  large  number  of 
people.  There  is  an  artificial  cave  in  the  townland  of  Cape 
Castle  containing  several  apartments  but  it  is  at  present 
(1838)  closed  up;  it  is  in  the  farm  of  Samuel  Purdon,  A 
beautifully  carved,  two  handled,  square  meather,  each  side 


THE  PARISH  OF  EAMOAN.  405 

of  which  was  at  the  mouth  5^  inches  and  at  the  bottom  4^ 
inches  broad,  and  in  depth  9  inches,  was  found  in  1835  about 
two  feet  under  the  surface  of  a  bog  in  this  townland ;  it  is 
at  present  (1838)  in  the  house  of  James  Montgomery,  of 
Cloughanmurray.  It  is  difficult  to  discover  the  origin  of  the 
name  Cape  Castle.  It  may  be  named  from  a  block  of  stone 
("  Cm/J,"  a  Standing  Stone)  near  the  boundary  of  the  town- 
land  and  a  castle  700  feet  distant ;  both  of  which  are  in 
Cloughanmurray.  The  Standing  Stone  is  a  grey  stone 
standing  above  the  ground  6  feet  10  inches  high,  4  feet 
broad  at  the  base  and  1  foot  at  the  top,  and  varies  from  1 
foot  to  1|  feet  in  thickness ;  it  is  said  that  the  larger  part  of 
it  is  beneath  the  ground.  Near  this  stone  formerly  stood  a 
similar  stone,  which  was  carried  away  many  years  ago.  The 
castle  was  named  Cloghduinmurray ;  it  was  erected  on  a 
mound  and  seems  to  have  been  extensive,  but  its  foundations 
were  never  fully  explored  ;  the  ascent  to  it  seems  to  have 
been  by  steps  from  the  east  side.  One  of  the  sides  of  the 
castle,  which  was  about  twenty  feet  high,  was  thrown  down 
by  a  great  storm  in  the  year  1797.  On  the  west  side  stood 
several  ancient  houses ;  the  whole  was  formerly  almost 
surrounded  by  a  morass.  In  Daniel  Todd's  farm  there  is  a 
cave  of  considerable  extent  but  it  is  now  closed  up  ;  in  a  small 
hill  over  the  cave  was  found,  in  1831,  a  compartment,  6  feet 
long,  2  feet  deep  and  2  feet  broad,  enclosed  by  flat  stones,  it 
was  filled  with  rich  black  earth.  In  the  farm  of  Peter 
Sharpe,  in  Toberbilly,  was  a  square  fort,  12  yards  by  12 
yards,  enclosed  by  a  parapet  of  earth  and  stones  but  now 
(1838)  much  disfigured.  About  50  yards  south-east  of  it, 
on  the  summit  of  a  small  hill  was  another  fort  nearly  circular, 
16  yards  in  diameter,  but  its  parapet  is  completely  destroyed. 
Close  to  these  are  many  large  stones  sunk  on  their  ends  in 


406  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

the  ground,  but  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  so  placed 
cannot  be  conjectured.  These  remnants  of  the  past  are 
situated  south  of,  and  close  to  the  road  from  Ballycastle  to 
Armoy.  "  The  Standing  Stone  "  in  Ballylig  is  situated  on 
a  high  ground  ;  it  is  6  feet  4  inches  high,  3  feet  broad,  and  2 
feet  thick.  On  a  small  hill  in  the  farm  of  Daniel  M'Intyre, 
in  Drumans,  is  a  Standing  Stone  5J  feet  high  and  6  feet 
thick.  Within  a  few  feet  of  it  is  a  cave  of  the  usual  con- 
struction, a  portion  of  which  has  been  destroyed  and  the 
remainder  closed  up. — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

John  Boyd,  in  1830,  found  in  his  farm  in  Broommore  an 
earthen  cinerary  urn  ;  and  again,  in  November,  1838,  he 
found  another  in  the  same  place.  Several  similar  urns  had 
been  previously  found  in  that  place  ;  the  mouth  of  each  urn 
was  covered  with  a  flat  stone,  Hugh  MuUan,  about  1830, 
when  labouring  land  that  had  not  been  previously  tilled, 
found  a  hoi-n  containing  silver  coins;  he  also  found  large 
brooches  and  amber  beads  of  large  size  and  of  various  shapes. 
At  about  half-a-mile  north  of  Knocklayd  there  is,  on  a  lofty 
hill  in  the  farm  of  Robert  Clowey,  a  circular  earthen  fort ; 
it  is  15  yards  in  diameter  on  the  top  which  is  from  6  to  10 
feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  moat ;  the  latter  averages  14 
feet  in  width.  A  cave  leading  in  a  southern  direction  from 
the  fort  has  been  discovered  about  30  yards  from  its  base. 
The  principal  fort,  however,  in  Broommore  is  on  a  lofty  emin- 
ence in  the  farm  of  Charles  Boyd,  310  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  It  was  of  circular  form,  30  yards  in  diameter  on 
the  top.  Its  summit  rose  from  10  to  15  feec  above  the 
surface  of  the  hill  on  which  it  is  situated ;  within  the  area 
was  a  raised  platform  composed  of  earth  and  stones.  The 
fort  had  within  its  earthworks  an  extensive  cave,  but  it  is 
now    completely   disfigured   by   excavations   to  obtain  the 


THE  PARISH  OP  RAMOAN.  407 

stones  used  in  the  construction  of  the  cave.*  At  the  base  of 
the  fort  on  the  north-west  side  is  a  stone  3|  feet  high,  2| 
feet  broad,  and  1|  feet  thick. — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

In  the  farm  of  John  M'llmoyle,  in  Ballydurnian,  there 
was  a  little  graveyard  locally  named  "  the  Kille  3"  it 
contained  a  rood  of  ground  and  was  enclosed  by  a  fence  of 
stone  and  clay  but  it  is  now  "  reclaimed,"  except  a  small 
part  occupied  by  a  cairn  of  stones.  Interments  in  this 
graveyard  were  discontinued  about  the  year  1760,  The  site 
is  in  a  valley  south  of,  and  close  to,  the  Ballycastle  and 
Armoy  Tvoad.  In  Broombeg  there  is,  in  the  farm  of  John 
M'Clarty,  a  Standing  Stone  4  feet  high,  4^  feet  broad,  and 
1  foot  thick.  In  the  same  mountain  grazing  is  another 
monumental  stone,  now  sloping  to  the  N.W.,  it  is  6|  feet 
long,  4|  feet  broad,  and  2  feet  thick.  In  the  mountain 
grazing  of  James  Waters  are  the  remains  of  a  "  Giant's 
grave  "  enclosed  by  stones  standing  from  1  to  3  feet  above 
the  surface  ;  it  stands  nearly  north  and  south  and  is  in  the 
inside  9  feet  long  and  2  feet  broad.  On  a  hill  in  the  same 
farm  are  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  house,  standing  east  and 
west,  supposed  to  have  been  a  church ;  it  measures  in  the 
interior  30  by  20  feet ;  the  walls  are  from  3  to  5  feet  high 
and  built  of  earth  and  large  stones.  In  Loughlin  M'Curdy's 
farm  is  a  whinstone  slab  4  feet  long,  2^  feet  broad,   and    1 

*  Broommore  should  be  written  Broomore — Brugh-more — "the 
great  fort  or  mansion  "  (see  pp.  385,  411).  One  of  the  uses  of  the  cave 
may  be  learned  from  the  following  translation  of  a  passage  in  the 
ancient  Irish  tale,  The  Wander'mos  of  Ulixes,  contained  in  the  Booh  of 
Ballymote  : — "  Said  Ulixes — I  had  a  subterranean  cave  of  escape  out  of 
the  town,  and  there  is  one  entrance  to  it  in  the  town  yonder,  with  a 
closing  door  to  it,  and  another  entrance  to  the  green  outside,  and  the 
weight  of  a  flagstone  upon  it.  And  what  I  want  to  do  is  to  go 
through  the  outer  door  along  the  cave  to  the  other  end,  until  I  reach 
their  bedchamber." 


408  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

foot  thick,  on  whicli  is  incised,  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
deep,  a  beautiful  cross,  the  perpendicular  line  of  which  is  9 
inches  long,  and  the  horizontal  line  6  inches.  The  slab 
is  at  present  lying  but  it  formerly  was  standing. — See  Ord. 
Surv.  MS. 

There  is  a  cave  of  considerable  extent  and  constriicted 
in  the  usual  manner  in  the  farm  of  D,  Fullerton,  in 
Drumawillin.  The  former  Protestant  Church  occupied  the 
site  of  the  ancient  church  of  Ramoan.  The  foundation  of 
this  church  by  St,  Patrick  is  recorded  in  the  Irish  Tripartite 
Life — "  He  founded  Kathmudhain  and  left  the  priest  Erclach 
in  it."  The  festival  of  St.  Erclach  was  held  on  the  3rd  of 
March  but  unfortunately  nothing  more  is  known  of  his 
history.  Colgan  states  that  the  present  name  is  a  corruption 
of  Rath  Modhain — the  fort  of  Muadain — but  the  present 
pronunciation  moan  fairly  represents  Muadhan,  who,  Colgan 
thinks,  was  Muadhan  the  father  of  Enan  the  founder  and 
patron  saint  of  Druim-indich  in  the  vicinity.  If  this  church 
was  originally  built  within  a  rath  all  traces  of  the  rath  have 
disappeared.  The  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  values  "the 
church  of  Rathmohan "  at  £10.  The  Terrier  enters 
"  Ecclesia  de  Rathmoan  hath  20  acres  of  Glebe ;  it  pays 
Proxes  20s,,  Refections  20s,,  Synodals  2s.  The  Ulster 
Visitation  Book  reports  in  1622 — "Ecclesia  de  Ramoan 
decayed."  The  ancient  church  was  pulled  down  previous  to 
th«  erection,  in  1812,  of  the  late  Protestant  church;  the 
walls  were,  it  is  said,  3  feet  in  thickness  and  it  was  longer 
than  the  Protestant  church  which  afterwards  was  erected  on 
the  site.  A  chalice  was  found  in  the  church  and  a  freestone 
font  of  large  size.  On  the  outside  of  the  south  sidewall  of 
the  ancient  church  was  a  freestone  slab,  on  which  was 
engraved  a  cross.    Ramoan  Well  was  about  3  furlongs  north 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  409 

of  the  church.  Stations  used  to  be  made  at  it  but  they 
ceased  about  1820  and  the  well  was  subsequently  closed  up. 
Human  remains  and  other  indications  of  a  cemetery  were 
found  on  the  south  side  of  the  main  street  of  Ballycastle  in  the 
premises  which,  in  1838,  were  the  property  of  Hugh  Jolly, 
but  if  a  church  ever  occupied  the  site  nothing  is  known  of 
its  history.  Among  the  earliest  records  we  have  of  Bally- 
castle are  the  accounts  of  the  great  defeat  which  Shane 
O'Neill  there  gave  to  the  Scots  in  1565  (see  p,  20.)  In 
these  accounts  the  place  is  named  Nyw  Castell  and  Baile- 
Caislein  from  a  new  castle  erected,  perhaps  on  the  site  of 
some  ancient  Celtic  6^ww;  or  perhaps  the  castle  was  called 
new,  in  comparison  with  the  older  fortress  of  Dunanyie, 
Of  this  battle  we  have  accounts  both  in  the  State  Papers 
and  in  the  native  annals,  A  letter  written  to  the  Lord 
Justice  by  Shane  O'Neill  "  from  the  town  of  Somhairle 
(Sorley  Boy),  called  Baile  Caislein,"  and  another  wi-itten  by 
his  secretary,  ''  Gerot  Flemynge,"  to  Sir  Thomas  Cusake,  tell 
the  entire  story,  that  O'Neill  first  encountered  the  Scots  at 
the  pass  of  Knockboy  near  Broughshane,  camped  that  night 
at  Clough,  and  on  the  following  day  marched  for  Red  Bay, 
the  castle  of  which  he  took  and  burned.     It  continues  : — 

Ou  that  night  James  M'Donnell  accompanied  by  his  brothers  and 
all  their  forces  arrived  in  Irelaad,  He  entered  the  neighbouring 
harbour  (Cushendun)  with  a  large  fleet  of  galleys,  and  immediately 
he  and  Somhairle  united  their  Irish  and  Scottish  forces.  We 
advanced  on  the  day  following  without  opposition  to  the  town  of 
Somhairle,  which  is  named  Baile  Caishlein  and  remained  there  all 
night  in  camp,  as  there  was  no  time  to  attack  them  that  evening. 
Early  next  morning  we  advanced  upon  them,  drawn  up  in  battle 
array  and  the  fight  was  furiously  maintained  on  both  sides.  But 
God,  best  and  greatest,  of  his  mere  grace,  and  for  the  welfare  of  Her 
Majesty  the  Queen,  gave  us  the  victory,  James  and  his  brother 
Somhairle  were  taken  prisoners,  and  a  third  brother  Angus,  surnamed 


410  DIOCESE*  OF   CONNOR. 

the  "  Contentious,"  and  John  Roe*  were  slain,  together  with  two 
Scottish  chiefs,  namely  the  son  of  MacLeod  and  the  son  of  the  Lord 
of  Carrig-na-Skiath.  A  young  chief  of  Isla  was  slain,  whose  father 
was  brother  to  James  aforesaid.  The  sons  of  Alexander  Carrach  and 
the  sons  of  Alexander  Gallta,  besides  many  of  the  Scottish  nobility 
were  captured,  great  numbers  of  their  men  killed,  amounting  in  all 
to  six  or  seven  hundred.     Few  escaped  who  were  not  taken  or  slain. 

Shane  O'Neill's  letter  was  written  while  his  hand  was  still 
red  with  the  blood  of  the  Scots,  but  Fleming's,  written 
some  days  afterwards  tells  that  his  master  : — 

' '  Killed  of  the  Skotts  at  that  present  tyme  to  the  nomber  of  vii. 
hondreth  that  they  can  make  compte  of.  After  which  conflicte 
O'Nele  campid  that  night  at  Nyw  Castell  foresaid,  where  the  said 
James  M'Conill  (M'Donnell),  being  prisoner,  offrid  O'Nele  all  the 
goodes,  cattels,  creaths  (herds  of  cattle),  stoodes  (horses)  and  landes 
that  he  had  in  Irelande  and  Scotland  and  to  sett  himself  at  liberty, 
affirming  by  othe  that  he  would  never  seeke  to  revenge  the  same, 
whose  answere  was,  that  the  service  he  went  aboute  was  not  his  but 
the  prince's,  and  that  it  lay  not  in  himself  to  doe  anything  but 
according  to  her  direction.  In  the  morning  after  he  removed  thence 
and  came  to  Downeserick  (Dunseverick)." 

The  Annals  of  Lough  Ce  record  this  battle  as  "  the  victory 
of  Glenn-Sheisg  by  O'Neill."  The  Four  Masters  under  the 
year  1565  enter: — 

"A  great  defeat  was  given  by  O'Neill  (John,  the  son  of  Con,  son  of 
Con,  son  of  Henry)  to  the  sons  of  MacDonnell  of  Scotland,  namely, 
James,  Aengus  and  Sorley.  Aengus  was  slain,  and  James  was 
wounded  and  taken  prisoner  and  he  died  of  the  virulence  of  his 
wounds  at  the  end  of  a  year.  The  death  of  this  gentleman  was 
generally  bewailed  ;  he  was  a  paragon  of  hospitality  and  prowfess,  a 
festive  man  of  many  troops,  and  a  bountiful  and  munificent  man. 
And  his  peer  was  not  at  that  time  among  the  Clann-Dounell  in 
Ireland  or  Scotland  ;  and  his  people  would  not  have  deemed  it  too 

*  This  John  Roe  M'Donnell,  who  was  slain  in  the  flight  from  Glenntaise,  seems 
to  have  got  as  far  as  the  hollow  at  the  head  of  Glensliesk,  called  Lag-na-g  Cappul— 
"  hollow  of  the  horses  " — where  there  is  a  Standing  Stone  named  Slav.ght  (Leacht) 
Eoin-Ruaidh—"  John  Roe's  Monument."— See  Hill's  M'Donnells. 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  411 

much  to  give  his  weight  in  gold  for  his  ransom,  if  he  could  have  btjen 
ransomed.     Many  others  were  slain  in  this  defeat  of  Glenu-taisi. " 

There  is  a  difficulty  about  the  pi-ecise  site  of  this  batt.le. 
The  Annals  of  Lough  Ce  say  it  occurred  in  Glenshesk,  an 4 
Mr.  Hennessy,  in  a  note  to  his  translation  of  those  Annals, 
says  that  the  Four  Masters  incorrectly  write  it  Glenn-taisi  ; 
but  Mr.  Hill,  who  is  a  native  of  the  vicinity,  i-emarks  that 
it  must  have  been  in  the  glen  on  the  west  side  of  Knock-layd, 
through  which  the  Tow  river  flows.  Fleming  says  that 
O'Neill  camped  in  Ballycastle,  "  having  his  enymies  withen 
a  mile  in  sight  camping  before  him,"  and  that  at  5  o'clock 
next  morning  he  attacked  them.  Mr,  Hill  says — "  If  the 
Scots  had  encamped  in  Glenshesk  it  is  not  easily  understood 
how  the  O'Neills  could  have  reached  Ballycastle  without  a 
collision.  But  if  the  Scots  moved  forward  and  encamped  at 
the  foot  of  Glentaisi,  or  Glen-tow,  they  were  thus  removed 
to  a  considerable  distance  from  the  line  of  O'Neill's  march." 
The  glen  through  which  the  Tow  flows  has  at  present  no 
name,  and  Mr.  Hill  supposes  that  the  name  of  that  river  is 
a  modern  form  of  Taise.  The  place,  however,  where  "  John 
Roe,"  who  was  slain  in  the  pursuit,  is  said  to  have  fallen,  is 
in  Glenshesk,  on  the  east  side  of  Knock-layd.  If  Mr.  Hill's 
supposition  be  correct,  Glen  taise  is  named  from  the  lady 
Taise  "  of  tlie  Fair  Side,"  and  the  fortress  there  built  for  her, 
(see  p.  385),  was  probably  the  great  fort  in  Broommore. 

After  the  M'Donnells  had  become  masters,  through  the 
patent  of  James  I.,  of  the  entire  North  of  Antrim,  one  of 
their  earliest  grants  conveyed  the  lands  constituting  the 
Ballycastle  estate  to  Hugh  MacNeill.  That  grant  is  dated 
on  the  9th  of  November,  1612,  and  reserves  to  Sir  Randal 
M'Donnell  and  his  wife,  Lady  Alice  O'Neill,  the  right  of 
residence,  should  they   wish   it,   at  either  or   both  of   the 


412  DIOCESE  OF  CONNOR. 

villages  of  Dunynie  and  Bally cashan,  (Baile  Cashlein). 
They  availed  themselves  of  this  privilege  some  years  after- 
wajMs,  and  erected  a  castle  on  the  site  of  the  former  castle, 
w'hich  had  given  name  to  Ballycastle. 

The  Ordnance  MS.  states  that  in  1838,  there  was,  over  a 
back-door  in  the  house  of  Mrs.  Blair,  on  the  south  side  of  Main 
Street,  a  date  stone,  which  had  been  taken  from  the  ruins  of 
the  castle.  On  that  was  an  inscription  in  raised  letters,  but 
the  only  portion  of  it  that  could  be  read  was  WRKGS.  1625, 
which  was  probably  the  date  at  which  the  Earl  erected  the 
new  castle.  He  died  in  Dunluce  in  1636,  and  his  countess, 
the  Lady  Alice  O'N'eill,  with  their  two  daughters  removed 
to  the  new  Castle  at  Ballycastle.  Here  she  resided,  enjoying 
the  rents  of  her  extensive  jointure  lands,  until  the  year  1642, 
when  she  suddenly  found  herself  in  the  very  centre  of  the 
bloody  deeds,  which  were  committed  by  both  parties,  at  that 
period  of  the  great  rebellion.  The  Cromwellians  hungered 
for  her  jointure  lands,  and  accused  her  of  conniving  at,  and 
encouraging  di'eadful  murders,  alleged  to  have  been  committ- 
ed at  her  own  gates  in  Ballycastle.  Mr.  Hill  with  his  usual 
impartiality  vindicates  her  character,  he  says — "  A  party  of 
the  Irish,  after  the  battle  of  the  Laney,  went  to  Ballycastle 
and  took  possession  of  her  house,  but,  as  they  did  not  turn 
her  out,  and  as  they  prevented  some  Protestants  from  taking 
shelter  therein,  it  was  supposed  that  she  had  connived  with 
the  Irish.  This  charge  was  not  sustained  by  any  witnesses, 
and  it  was  rebutted  by  her  own  statement,  and  by  the  sworn 
depositions  of  Henry  O'Hagan,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  who  was 
present  in  the  castle  at  the  time.  Any  suspicions  of 
connivance  on  her  part  vanish  when  we  come  to  know  the 
motives  which  actuated  her  enemies.  Without  a  knowledge 
of  the  times,  however,  one  might  be  led  to  judge  harshly  of 


THE  PARISH  OF  KAMOAN.  413 

the  Countess,  as  we  once  did,  giving  expression  to  our 
suspicions  in  a  tract  entitled  The  Stewarts  of  Ballintoy,  but 
which  expression  we  now  freely  retract."  MacDonnells,  %). 
357.    The  following  is  O'Hagan's  affidavit.    (MS.  T.  C.  B.)  : 

"The  examination  of  Edmund  O'Hagan,  of  Ballycastle,  in  the 
parish  of  Ramoane,  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  Gent. ,  taken  before  us 
at  Coleraine,  12th  March,  1652. 

"  Whoe  being  duely  examined,  saitli  that  he  was  the  Countess  of 
Antrim's  waiting  man  for  many  years,  and  lived  at  Ballycastell  with 
her  ladyship.  That  the  day  after  the  murder  of  the  British  at 
Portnaw,  to  this  Examinants  best  remembrance,  William  Glover, 
James  Stewart,  and  Thomas  Stewart,  with  some  ten  Scotchmen,  of 
the  town  of  B.Castell,  came  unto  the  gate  of  the  caatel,  that  James 
M' Henry,  Esq.,  who  since  was  killed  at  Ennis,  as  he  hath  heard, 
mett  with  the  said  William  Glover  w^ithout  the  gate,  where  they 
were  talking  together,  this  Examinant  being  present,  but  not  so  neare 
as  to  heare  what  they  said  ;  that  James  Stewart  and  Thomas  Stewart 
went  in  at  the  wickett  of  the  gate,  the  Broad  gate  being  shut,  as  it 
was  accustomed  to  be,  and  William  Glover  and  the  rest  of  the  Scotch 
staid  without.  That  soon  after  the  said  James  Stewart  and  Thomas 
Stewart  were  entered  into  the  castel,  the  said  James  M 'Henry  went 
in  at  the  gate  and  this  Examinant  followed  him  ;  that  as  soon  as 
they  were  gone  in  they  found  the  Porter  of  the  gate  and  the  said 
James  Stewart  and  Thomas  Stewart  quarrelling,  and  the  two 
Stewart's  swords  were  drawne,  upon  which  the  said  James  M 'Henry 
and  Donnell  Grome  M'Donnell  (since  likewise  killed)  with  the  men 
which  he  had  in  the  castel  to  keep  the  castel  (for  his  own  or  what 
end  he  knows  not)  disarmed  the  said  James  Stewart  and  Thomas 
Stewart,  and  being  demanded  upon  what  ground  the  said  two 
Stewarts  drew  their  swords  after  they  were  within  the  castel  gate,  he 
says  he  believes  it  was  to  force  the  Porter  to  open  the  gate  and  make 
way  for  William  Glover  and  the  Scots  without  the  gate  to  come  in. 
That  soon  after  the  two  Stewarts  having  their  swords  restored  to 
them  went  out  of  the  castell.  And  the  Examinant  being  demanded 
if  any  of  the  British  came  after  into  the  castel  for  safety  of  their  lives, 
he  saith  that  ajl  who  came  thither  were  received  in  and  their  lives 
saved.  And  being  demanded  who  those  were,  he  saith  John 
Murghlan,  a  smith  ;  John  Hunter,  a  carpenter  ;  John  Kidd,  a  mason; 
Alester  Begg  Stewart,  afterwards  the  said  Countesses  Monlterer, 
and  some  other  men  and  women  whose  names  he  doth  not  remember. 


414  DIOCESE   OP    CONNOR. 

That  he  did  not  see  or  know  of  any  murdered  at  Ballycastle  but  one 
Jennett  Speir,  who  was  killed  on  the  backside  of  the  said  Countesses 
stable,  neare  the  castel,  but  by  whom  he  knows  not.  That  AUester 
M'CoU  M'Donnell  and  James  M 'Henry  came  to  visit  the  Countess  at 
Ballycastell,  after  the  murder  at  Portnaw  and  in  the  Layney,  soe 
often  as  they  pleased,  and  that  this  Examinant  sometimes  did  see 
them  and  others  there,  and  further  he  saith  not. 
H.  Coote,  Kichard  Brazier." 

The  castle  was  seized  by  Scotch  troops  and  afterwards 
held  by  the  Cromwellians.  The  old  Countess  returned  to 
the  neighbourhood  after  the  Kestoration.  One  of  her  letters 
written  from  Bunamargie  is  dated  May  1661,  and  in  another 
written  in  the  same  month,  she  prays  her  "  Dear  Cousin, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Robert  Stewart,  now  in  Dublin," — "  I 
hope  you  will  strive  to  get  my  old  dwelling,  Ballycastle,  to 
me  again."  The  castle,  however,  had  been  too  long  occupied 
by  soldiers  to  be  ever  re-occupied  as  a  mansion.  The  eastern 
gable  remained  until  about  1848,  when  it  was  removed  by 
an  order  from  the  Court  of  Chancery  lest  its  fall  might 
occasion  loss  of  life.  After  the  wars  of  1641  Ballycastle  was 
almost  entirely  deserted.  In  1699,  the  tenements  of  the 
town,  occupied  only  an  extent  of  three  acres.  In  1722  the 
village  and  the  demesne  connected  with  the  castle  were  re-let 
to  James  MacCarroll  for  £22  12s.  His  proposal  to  Lord 
Antrim  is  as  follows  : — 

"The  standing  rentt  of  the  above  town  and  Demens  pay  yearly, 
as  will  appear  by  the  Kent  Rowle  and  the  persons  names  whom  the 
Rentts  are  paid  by — £16  12s.  I  propose  the  above-mentioned  Rentt 
and  Six  Pounds  advancitt  yearly,  which  amounts  to  in  all  Twenty- 
two  Pounds  twelf  shillings,  with  undenayable  security  for  the  Rentt 
and  ffees  ;  proposed  by  me  This  the  9th  August,  1722.  James 
MacCarroll." 

From  a  population  return  of  the  parish  of  Ramoan  in  the 
year  1734  it  appears  the  householders  of  Ballycastle  numbered 


THE   PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  415 

sixty-two,  of  whom  sixteen  were  Catholics,  thirty-two  Episco- 
palians, SkXidi  fourteen  Presbyterians. 

The  Catholic  families  were  O'EalifF,  M'Alinden,  Matthews, 
O'MooDey,  M'Alister,  Chism,  O'Mullan,  Shannon,  M'Connell,  M'Cor- 
mick,  O'Mullan,  M 'Carroll,  O'flegarty,  Murphy,  O'Donaghy,  Kelly. 

At  that  date  Portbretts,  now  the  Quay,  had  only  four 
householders — John  M'AuIey,  a  Catholic  ;  and  John  Boyd, 
-Archibald  Boyd,  and  Robt.  Bear,  Episcopalians.  —  From  a 
newspaper  cutting  ;  written  ptrobably  hy  Rev.  G.  Hill. 

Ballycastle  owes  the  great  progress  which  it  made  in  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  to  the  untiring  industry  and  enter- 
prise of  Hugh  Boyd.  This  gentleman  was  the  son  of  Hugh 
Boyd,  rector  of  Ramoan,  and  Rose  M'Neill,  the  heiress  of 
tlie  grant  made  in  1612  by  Sir  Randal  M'Donnell  to  Hugh 
MacNeil],  constable  and  gentleman  of  Dinynie  Castle.  The 
names  of  the  several  lands  recited  in  that  grant  are — "  The 
townland  of  Ballrentinny,  the  quarterlands  of  Brumemore 
and  Liscallen,  the  quarterlands  of  Drumnacree,  Ballyvarnyne, 
Drumand,  Ballyenige  ;  the  forty  acres  of  Clancaslian  (Bally- 
castle), the  five  acres  of  Craigmore  and  the  five  acres  of 
Portbretts  (the  Quay),  together  with  the  constableship  and 
keeping  of  the  market  towns  or  villages  of  Dunynie  and 
Bally cashin.*     For  this,  Hugh  MacNeill  stipulated  to  pay 

*The  following  gentlemen  are  given  in  Masons  Parochial  Survey  as 
proprietors  of  the  different  townlands  of  Ramoan  in  1816  : — Hugh 
Boyd,  of  Ballycastle.  Ballydurnian,  Broommore,  Ballylig,  Broombeg, 
Camsampson,  Carneatly,  Drumawillin,  Drumavoley,  Kilcreg,  Mullart, 
Carnduff'.  John  Cuppage,  of  Aghaleck,  and  Clare,  Kilrobert  and 
Tavnaghboy,  Corvally,  Ardagh,  and  part  of  Knock-layd.  Mr.  Stewart 
of  Ballyveely,  Cape  Castle,  Coolkenny  and  Black-Knowe,  Cloughan- 
murray,  Drumeeny,  Magheramore,  Toberbilly  and  Turraloskin. 
Mr.  Tennant,  of  Coulmaghera,  Cregganboy,  and  Carnmoon.  Mr. 
Hood,  of  Drummans.  J.  S.  Moore,  of  Moyarget.  Mr.  M'Gildoioney,  of 
iSTovally,  and  White  Hall,  or  Gortamaddy.  John  Dunlop,  of  Gortconny. 


416  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

"  nyne  pounds "  rent  yearly  and  a  fair  proportion  of  the 
rent  payable  to  the  King  out  of  Route  and  Grlynns,  and  to 
appear  at  every  general  Hosting  with  men  and  arms  in 
proportion  to  the  extent  of  his  lands.  He  was  to  do  suit 
and  service  at  the  Courts  Leet  and  Courts  Baron  on  the 
landlord's  estates  and  grind  his  corn  at  the  landlord's  mills. 
These  lands  passed  by  inheritance  to  the  great  grandson  of 
the  original  grantee  who  was  also  named  Hugh  MacNeill. 
This  gentleman  had  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter ;  the 
son  did  not  inherit.  One  account  states  that  he  died  before 
coming  of  age,  and  another  that  he  was  of  unsound  mind. 
The  daughter,  Rose  M'Neill  married  Hugh  Boyd,  rector  of 
Ramoan,  and  was  succeeded  by  her  son,  Hugh  Boyd.  He 
obtained  in  1734  a  lease  of  the  collieries,  and  in  1736  he 
obtained  a  deed  of  the  village  of  Ballycastle.  In  a  short 
time  he  changed  the  village  into  a  prosperous  town,  having 
manufactories  of  salt  and  soap,  iron-works,  weaving  and 
bleaching  establishments,  tan-yards,  a  glass  house  and 
brewery.  The  great  works,  however,  of  his  life  were  the 
collieries  and  the  erection  of  Ballycastle  harbour.  A  little 
inlet,  at  which  the  Rathlin  mail-boat  yet  lands,  was  from  the 
earliest  age  a  somewhat  important  harbour.  This  was 
mdimQdi  Port  Brittas — perhaps  "the  British  Port" — because 
it  was  the  port  whence  the  Dalriadans  sailed  for  Britain 

Mr.  Hill,  Ulster  Journal,  Vol.  v'ui.  p.  200,  says  that  Gortconny 
and  the  mill  at  Ballycastle  were  granted  by  Sir  Randal  M'Donnell 
to  Bryce  Dunlop  from  the  Scottish  island  of  Arran,  whose  grandson, 
Archibald,  married  Rose,  daughter  of  Alexander  MacAulay,  with 
whom  he  obtained  as  a  marriage  portion  Drumnagessan,  near  Bush- 
mills, which  her  mother  had  inherited  from  her  father,  the  Rev. 
Adam  Reid.  The  present  (a.d,  1860)  representative  of  the  family  is 
Dr.  Dunlop,  of  Drumnagessan.  Bryce  Dunlop's  tomb-stone  is  in 
Ramoan.  Mr.  Hill  states  that  he  obtained  this  information  from 
Robert  Given,  Esq.,  Coleraine. 


THE  PARISH  OF  KAMOAN.  417 

when  they  colonized  Scotland.  In  1612  it  was  considered 
so  important  that  Sir  Randal,  in  granting  it  to  Hugh 
MacNeill,  reserved  the  Custom  duty  on  "  wynne,  oill,  and 
aquavitae,"  brought  into  Porthretts.  It  was,  no  doubt,  a 
miserable  harbour,  and  in  1584  Wallop  bitterly  complains 
to  the  treasurer-at-war  of  "the  iniquity  of  Marketon  Bay," 
where  they  had  to  land  their  victuals  on  a  raft.  The  original 
winding  course  of  the  river  Mairge  was  changed,  and, 
instead  of  falling  into  the  bay  at  where  the  Outer  Dock  was 
afterwards  constructed,  the  united  waters  of  the  Mairge 
and  the  Tow  rivers,  were  made  to  flow  through  the  Inner 
Dock.  Aided  by  the  Irish  Parliament,  to  the  amount 
of  £23,000,  Mr.  Boyd  constructed  piers  in  the  creek,  with  the 
view  of  facilitating  the  export  of  coal  for  the  supply  of 
Dublin.  At  the  time  of  his  death  in  1765  the  town  had 
twenty  vessels  actively  employed  in  trade,  but  from  that 
period  the  harbour  was  permitted  to  fall  rapidly  to 
decay.  The  violence  of  the  tides  overthrew  the  piers  and 
the  harbour  was  choked  with  drifted  sands.  The  provisions 
in  his  will  for  the  supply  of  coal  to  the  glass-works  and  for 
dredging  the  docks  were  utterly  neglected,  and  everything 
about  the  quay  has  gradually  returned  to  its  primitive  state, 
except  the  Mairge  river  which  even  yet  is  artificially  com- 
pelled to  deposit  its  sand  in  the  still  water  of  the  Inner 
Harbour,  as  if  for  the  purpose,  at  no  distant  day,  of  obliterat- 
ing the  works  of  him  who  changed  its  course. 

On  an  eminence  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  the  town 
of  Ballycastle  is  the  rath  of  Dunnamallachd — "  the  fort  of 
the  curse" — an  earthen  mound  which  seems  originally  to 
have  been  circular,  about  1 1  yards  in  diameter  on  the  top, 
and  rising  from  10  to  30  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 
ground   on   which   it   stands.      The  fine    old   mound   was 


418  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

much  injured  by  Hugh  Boyd,  Esq.,  M.P.,  who  erected  on 
its  summit  a  "Tea  House"  which  has  long  since  disappeared. 
Dunrainey  fort,  situated  about  120  yards  south-west  of  the 
monastery  of  Bunnamargy,  has  been  in  the  civil  parish  of 
Culfeightrin  since  the  course  of  the  Shesk  was  changed,  but 
as  the  ancient  boundaries  are  still  observed  in  the  Catholic 
arrangement,  the  fort  is  in  the  Catholic  parish  of  Ramoan, 
because  the  river  which  was  the  boundary  formerly  flowed 
on  the  east  side  of  it,  and  even  passed  through  a  part  of  the 
present  graveyard.  Dunrainey  seems  to  have  been  originally 
circular,  about  30  yards  in  diameter  on  the  top,  which  was 
from  20  to  30  feet  above  the  level  of  the  field ;  but  a  great 
part  of  it,  particularly  towards  the  north-east,  was  carted 
away  about  the  year  1810  by  Samuel  H.  Reid,  who  occupied 
the  farm  in  which  it  is  situated.  It  was  from  this  fort,  it  is 
said,  the  Irish  and  Scotch  discharged  the  fiery  arrows  into 
the  thatch  of  the  monastery,  and  burned  that  building,  in 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  when  it  was  occupied  by  an  English 
garrison. 

In  the  farm  of  Robert  Stewart  in  Drumavoley,  there  was 
an  ancient  graveyard  named  Killalonan,  which  is  now 
completely  removed  and  its  site  under  roads  and  tillage  ; 
great  quantities  of  human  bones  and  rude  headstones  have 
been  removed  from  the  site.  Two  Holy-water  fonts  well 
executed  in  freestone,  the  bowl  of  each  of  which  was  about  10 
inches  in  diameter,  and  7  inches  in  depth,  were  found  among 
the  graves ;  they  were  used  by  the  finder  for  feeding  pigs, 
and  perished  in  that  ignoble  use.  Here  were  also  found 
under  a  flat  stone  two  ancient  keys  of  strange  construction  ; 
there  were  also  found  some  quern-stones,  and  silver  and 
copper  coins.  The  site  of  the  church  is  about  half  a  mile 
south-west  of  Bunnamargy  church.     Close  to  this  site  is  a 


THE  PARISH   OF  RAMOAN.  419 

cave  of  the  usual  construction,  but  its  extent  has  not  been 
investigated ;  several  "  Danes'  Pipes"  were  found  in  it. 
A  monument,  consisting  of  a  stone  6  feet  long,  3  feet 
broad,  and  3  feet  thick,  raised  about  1  foot  above  the  ground 
on  several  other  smaller  stones,  is  in  a  rocky  eminence, 
called  Cregagh,  in  the  farm  of  Richard  M'Gaula,  about 
one  statute  mile  from  Ballycastle ;  within  a  few  feet  of  it 
is  a  similar  stone  but  without  supporters.  Near  these  are 
the  ruins  of  some  building,  19  feet  long  and  8  feet  broad  in 
the  inside,  divided  into  two  apartments  ;  the  walls,  of  earth 
and  large  stones,  are  from  1  to  3  feet  high,  and  from  3  to  5 
feet  broad.  To  the  west  of  the  stones  and  the  ruined  build- 
ing is  an  enclosure,  28  yards  long  and  18  yards  broad,  the 
fence  of  which  was  composed  chiefly  of  large  stones  sunk 
closely  together  on  their  ends  in  the  ground,  and  varying  in 
height  from  1  to  5  feet.  The  dilapidation,  the  growth  of  bog, 
whins,  and  heather,  make  it  difficult  to  say  what  was  the 
original  shape  or  design  of  this  group  of  remains.  See  Orel. 
Sur.  MS. 

On  a  bill  in  the  farm  of  Hector  M'Neill,  in  Kilcreg, 
stand  the  ruins  of  a  fort  that  was  40  yards  in  diameter,  but 
it  is  now  completely  disfigured.  There  was  an  artificial  cave 
under  it,  in  which  were  found  "  Danes'  Pipes"  lettered  on 
the  shanks.  The  ancient  graveyard  called  "  Killcraig," 
which  gives  name  to  the  townland,  stands  on  a  rocky 
eminence  in  the  farm  of  Daniel  M'Bride  ;  it  contained  about 
a  quarter  of  a  rood  of  ground,  and  was  enclosed  by  a  fence 
of  stones  and  clay,  but  it  is  now  overgrown  with  whins.  In 
various  parts  of  the  mountain  farms  in  Kilcreg,  Broombeg 
and  Ballydurnian  are  small  enclosures,  structures  named 
"  Danes'  Houses,"  and  Cairns,  but  all  so  overgrown  with 
moss  and  whins  that  their  original  uses  can  only  be 
conjectured.     See  Orel.  Stir.  MS. 


420  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

In  the  farm  of  Hugh  Laverty,  in  Drummeeny,  about  one 
mile  south-west  of  Bunnamargy,  are  the  remains  of  an 
ancient  graveyard  named  Kill-Enan,  situated  on  a  gentle 
eminence  a  little  west  of  the  River  Shesk.  It  contained 
about  half  an  acre  and  was  enclosed  by  a  broad  fence  of 
stone  and  clay.  The  principal  part  of  the  graveyard  was 
occupied  by  stone-lined  gi-aves.  Near  its  centre  stood  the 
remains  of  a  church  which  measured  externally  30  by  21 
feet.  The  walls  were  built  with  well  shaped  stones,  but 
apparently  without  lime  ;  portions  of  them,  from  1  to  4  feet 
high,  yet  (a.d.  1838)  remain,  but  are  overgrown  with  nettles 
and  brambles.  At  the  east  end  of  the  church  is  an  altar,  a 
flat  freestone  flag,  about  5  feet  long  and  2  feet  wide, 
supported  about  4  feet  high  on  a  number  of  freestone 
slabs.  Many  of  the  old  grave  stones  had  crosses  engraved 
on  them,  but  the  graveyard  is  now  under  tillage  and  nothing 
remains  but  the  walls  of  the  church  ;  in  them  lies  a  font 
stone  of  mountain  freestone,  2  feet  8  inches  long,  1^  feet 
broad,  and  9  inches  thick  ;  the  basin,  hollowed  in  this,  is  an 
oval  of  16  by  11  inches,  and  4  inches  in  depth. 

About  60  yards  south-east  of  the  graveyard  stood  a 
circular  earthen  mound,  but  it  is  now  (1838)  nearly 
destroyed.  On  the  top  of  a  small  hill,  about  100  yards 
south  west  of  the  graveyard,  was  found  a  vault  (kistvaen) 
above  3  feet  long  and  2  feet  broad  and  2  feet  deep,  contain- 
ing charcoal  and  a  small  earthen  urn.  Near  the  graveyard 
on  the  north-west  side  are  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  bridge 
that  accommodated  a  paved  road,  leading  in  a  south-western 
direction  fi'om  the  graveyard  to  another  paved  road  that 
formerly  led  along  Glenshesk  hills  from  Ballycastle  to 
Bally mena*     The  bridge  was  10  feet  wide,  and  constructed 

*  Portions  of  about  half  a  mile  of  this  ancient  road  paved  with 
rough  stones  may  still.be  seen  iu  Bally veely  and  Drumeeny. 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  421 

of  flat  stones  fastened  in  the  ground  on  each  side  of  the 
river  and  notched  together  over  the  centre  of  the  stream. 
In  the  graveyard  were  found  amber  beads  and  the  head  of  a 
metal  statue.  Aeneas  Laverty  has  an  ancient  stone 
mallet,  which  he  found  in  the  sti-eam  near  Kiil-Enan.  It 
is  artificially  constructed  of  whin-stone ;  the  head  is  6^ 
inches  long,  4  inches  broad,  and  3|  inches  thick  ;  the  handle 
protrudes  from  the  head  at  about  two-thirds  its  length,  and 
is  6  inches  in  circumference  at  the  juncture  with  the  head, 
and  4^  inches  in  length.  There  was  also  found  a  rasp  made 
of  the  same  kind  of  stone,  and  cut  on  the  face  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  steel  rasps  used  by  smiths.  Near  the  old 
church  was  found  in  1833  a  circular  stone  box,  well 
constructed,  6  inches  in  depth,  and  1|  inches  in  diameter. — 
From  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

On  a  beautiful  eminence  in  John  Thompson's  farm,  about 
150  yards  north-west  of  Kill-Enan  Church,  are  the  ruins  of 
another  church  locally  called  Cloughneeingoban — "  the 
castle  of  the  daughter  of  Goban," — said  to  have  been 
erected  for  nuns  by  the  daughter  of  Goban  Saer.  The 
church  measures  in  the  inside  28  feet  8  inches  by  15  feet  2 
inches ;  the  walls  are  from  4  to  10  feet  high  and  3  feet 
thick,  of  whinstone,  well  faced  with  quoins  of  freestone  and 
grouted  with  mortar  of  a  superior  quality.  The  west  gable 
is  nearly  destroyed,  and  the  other  walls  are  reduced  to 
skeletons  by  the  removal,  during  the  last  70  years,  of  the 
well-faced  stones.  The  door  was  in  the  western  gable ;  a 
narrow  window  was  in  the  eastern  gable,  and  it  is  supposed 
there  was  a  window  in  each  of  the  north  and  south  sidewalls, 
near  the  eastern  end.  About  80  yards  north  of  the  church 
are  the  ruins  of  some  ancient  enclosure  like  a  Giant's  Grave, 
40  feet  by  40  feet,  divided  into  compartments,  some  resembl- 


422  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

ing  graves  and  enclosed  by  large  stones  sunk  on  their  ends  ; 
but  the  whole  structure  is  reduced  to  complete  confusion  by 
the  removal  of  many  of  the  stones  and  by  the  construction 
of  a  fence  through  nearly  its  centre.  About  10  yards 
distant  from  the  east  of  the  church  was  an  earthen  mound, 
of  which  very  little  now  remains.  Between  the  church  and 
the  mound  there  was  the  commencement  of  a  very  extensive 
cave  nearly  central  between  the  two  churches.  The  first 
compartment,  which  extended  27  feet  southward,  has  been 
destroyed  about  1830.  Afc  its  southern  extremity  there 
was  found  one  of  the  narrow  passages  usual  in  caves, 
which,  when  discovered,  was  closed  by  a  flat  stone.  This 
passage  led  to  an  apartment  on  a  lower  level,  which  extended 
eastward  and  was  connected  at  its  eastern  extremity  with 
another  running  southward.  The  three  compartments  of 
the  cave  were  each,  including  the  low  and  narrow  connecting 
passage,  27|  feet  in  length;  but  the  apartment  itself  was  in 
each  case  about  23 J  feet  long,  6  feet  high  and  4  feet  broad; 
the  walls  were  built  of  dry  stones  and  roofed  with  flagstones, 
generally  of  freestone,  about  5  feet  long.  In  the  compart- 
ment running  north  and  south,  which  still  remains,  there  is 
a  roofing  flag,  at  the  entrance  to  the  compartment  running 
westward,  of  freestone,  5|  feet  long  and  2|  feet  broad,  and 
1  foot  thick.  On  the  under  surface  (that  visible  from  inside 
of  the  cave)  is  inscribed  a  Latin  cross,  formed  by  double 
incised  lines ;  the  length  of  the  cross  is  2  J  feet,  and  the  breadth 
across  the  arms  is  17  inches.  All  the  particulars  of  the 
churches  and  other  remnants  of  antiquity  in  this  remarkable 
place  are  taken  from  the  Ordnance  Memoir  MS.,  written  in 
1838  by  Thomas  Fagan.  Dr.  Reeves  was  informed  by  the 
tenant  of  the  ground  that  there  were  in  the  cave  "  tvro 
stones,  one  with  a  crucifix  carved  on  it  and  another   with  a 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  423 

cross."  There  certainly  was  only  one  cross  but  it  was  carved 
in  double  lines ;  there  is  used  as  a  flagstone,  in  M'Caughan's 
house  adjoining,  a  slab  on  which  is  rudely  inscribed  a  cross, 
but  it  is  the  stone  which  Hugh  Laverty  found  in  the  disused 
graveyard. 

This  interesting  spot  seems  to  have  been  an  important 
place  in  Pagan  times,  hence  its  mounds,  funei-eal  urns,  and 
rude  stone  monuments  ;  but  Kill-Enan  perpetuates  the  im- 
portant success  of  St.  Patrick,  when  he  converted  the  local 
chieftain  Muadan  and  directed  that  toparch's  son,  Enan,  to 
build  a  church  amid  the  most  sacred  monuments  of  local 
paganism.  The  foundation  of  the  church  is  told  in  the 
following  passage  translated  from  the  Tripartite  Lije  as  given 
by  Colgan — "  Moreover,  in  the  region  of  Cathrigia  (Gary) 
he  founded  the  church  of  Domnach  Coinri  where  he  placed 
the  two  Connennans,  his  disciples.  Also  the  church  of 
Druim-lndich  (Drumeeny)  where  he  placed  St.  Enan ;  and 
Guil-Ectrann  (Culfeightrin)  over  which  he  placed  Fiachrius 
as  bishop."  In  the  Trias  Thaiim,  p.  182,  Colgan  has  the 
following  note  : — "  St.  Enan  seems  to  be  the  son  of  Modain, 
who  is  commemorated  on  the  24th  of  March,  since  Rath- 
Modain  (Ramoan),  so  called  perhaps  from  his  father — that 
is  Modain's  Fort — is  in  the  same  region."  He  is  styled  in 
the  Calendar  of  Marianus  O'Gorman — "  Enanus  egregius, 
diuturnae  quietis,  et  Muadani  filius."  Of  the  remaining 
history  of  St.  Enan  we  know  nothing  ;  Colgan  conjectures 
that  he  may  be  a  St.  Enan,  who  flourished  under  St.  Comgall, 
which  is  impossible.  We  will  again  meet  the  name  when 
treating  of  Ardclinis.  It  is  by  no  means  certain  that  the 
townland  Drumeeny — Druivi  Indich  is  named  from  St. 
Enan;  it  is  not  improbable  that  it  was  named  from  an 
Aenach,  an  assembly,  fair,  or  public  games,  which  like   the 


421:  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

great  games  of  Greece  were  held  by  the  Irish  at  some 
funereal  mound.  There  can,  however,  be  no  doubt  that  Kil- 
Enan  is  named  from  St.  Enan  the  disciple  of  St.  Patrick;  and 
it  may  be  supposed,  that,  when  it  became  dilapidated,  the 
church  formerly  called  Cloughneeingohan  and  lately  Gobbin's 
Heir  Castle  was  substituted  for  it.  Dr.  Reeves's  antiquarian 
knowledge  enabled  him  at  once  to  see  that  the  term  Castle 
was  a  complete  perversion,  as  every  feature  of  the  spot  is 
indicative  of  an  ecclesiastical  character,  and  to  point  out  that 
Gobbiti^s  Heir  is  a  corruption  of  Goban  Saer  {Gobau  Saor, 
'  Goban,  the  Artificer')  the  title  of  the  celebrated  architect,  to 
whose  skill  the  traditions  of  the  country  ascribe  the  erection 
of  so  many  churches  and  round  towers.  The  superiority  of 
the  masonry  of  this  church  was  obviously  the  reason  why 
popular  belief  ascribed  it  to  the  Goban  Saer.  When  Mr. 
George  Langtry  visited  the  ruins  in  August,  1870  (see  Kilk. 
Journ.  1870-1),  he  found  the  north  wall  removed  to  within 
two  feet  of  the  ground  and  the  eastern  gable  gone  except  a 
fragment  of  three  feet  at  each  end.  The  cave,  whether 
constructed  before  the  days  of  St.  Patrick  or  not,  was 
obviously  used  by  the  ecclesiastics  when  danger  threatened. 
A  deer's  skull,  with  a  portion  of  the  horns  attached  to  it, 
and  some  bones  of  other  animals  wei'e  found  in  the  cave 
when  it  was  discovered. 

There  is,  in  the  farm  of  Charles  M'Comb,  in  the  townland 
of  Ballyveely,  a  little  valley  running  down  to  the  river  Shesk, 
called  Bealnafaula  (Beul-na-fola — "  the  mouth,  or  pass  of 
blood,")  so  named  because  it  was  the  scene,  it  is  said,  of  a 
great  battle  between  the  M'Donnells  and  M'Quillins,  in 
which  the  latter  were  defeated  after  great  slaughter  on  both 
sides.  It  is  likely  that  the  battle  fought  in  this  glen,  which 
occurred  probably  ages  before  the  advent  of  either  M'Quillins 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  425 

or  M'Donnells  to  Glenshesk,  gave  name  to  Bally  veely  {Baile 
fhola — "the  town  of  blood,")  and  to  Coola  veely — "the  corner 
of  blood,"  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Shesk.  In  the  same 
farm  was  a  cairn  of  stones  locally  called  "  The  Giant's 
Grave,"  which  seems  to  have  been  circular,  8  yards  in 
diameter,  and  enclosed  by  standing  stones  but  at  present  it 
is  reduced  nearly  to  the  level  of  the  field  and  overgrown 
with  scrog-wood.  On  an  eminence,  60  yards  west  of  the 
cairn,  stands  a  monument  consisting  of  three  very  large 
stones  rising  from  3  to  6  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 
interior  which  is  nearly  square,  4|  feet  by  4  feet ;  it  was 
formerly  covered,  probably  by  one  or  more  stones  like  "The 
Stone  House,"  in  Tycloy,  parish  of  Skerry  (see  vol.  iii.  p. 
449.)  Two  of  the  stones  which  form  the  side-walls  are  so 
arranged  as  to  form  a  door  facing  the  east,  2|  feet  at  the  top 
and  1 1  feet  at  the  bas  e.  Close  to  this  are  several  caves  said 
to  be  extensive  but  they  are  closed  at  present.  There  are 
also  near  it  the  ruins  of  ancient  stone  fences,  of  great  thick- 
ness, composed  chiefly  of  stones  of  great  size.  About  80 
yards  north-west  of  the  Cairn,  or  "  Giant's  Grave,"  there 
formerly  stood  on  the  summit  of  a  rocky  height  a  Standing 
Stone  5  feet  high,  which  has  been  taken  down  several  years 
ago.  On  a  lofty  eminence,  in  the  farm  of  Andrew  Neill,  on 
Ballyveely  Mountain,  about  half-a-mile  north-east  of  Knock- 
laid,  stand  the  ruins  of  a  cairn  locally  called  the  Gallows 
Hill.  The  cairn  was  an  oval  of  25  by  21  feet  and  its  summit 
was  about  5  feet  higher  than  the  surrounding  ground. 
Beneath  the  cairn  was  a  chamber  or  cave  ;  passing  east  and 
west,  walled  by  dry  stone  work  and  roofed  with  long  flat 
stones  ;  it  was  20  feet  long,  3  feet  wide,  and  nearly  2  feet  high 
in  the  inside.  This  chamber  or  passage  is  now  (1838)  neai-ly 
destroyed  by  the  removal  of  the  large  stones   for  building 


426  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

purposes.  There  seem  to  have  been  other  chambers  under 
the  cairn.  It  occupied  nearly  the  centre  of  a  circular  enclosure 
40  yards  in  diameter,  but  the  moat  and  parapet  are  now- 
reduced  to  a  mere  ruin.  It  is  said  that  the  hill  had  been 
a  few  hundred  years  ago  used  as  the  place  of  execution  for 
the  culprits  of  the  four  neighbouring  parishes.  About  2 
furlongs  north-east  of  the  Gallows  Hill  is  a  small  hill 
apparently  artificially  raised  by  earth  and  stones,  at  the  east 
side  of  which  is  what  is  called  a  "  Druid's  Altar."  It  is  a 
block  of  stone  4  feet  long,  3  feet  broad  and  2  feet  thick 
raised  about  a  foot  on  a  number  of  smaller  stones.  Several 
other  large  stones  show  themselves  a  little  above  the  surface 
near  the  "  Altar."  The  hill  seems  to  contain  subterranean 
chambers  but  it  has  never  been  explored. — See  Ord.  Surv. 
MS.     This  seems  to  be  a  partially  ruined  sepulchral  cairn. 

Tradition  asserts  that  there  was  an  ancient  burying-ground 
in  Kilrobert  but  no  traces  of  it  can  at  present  be  discovered. 
About  a  furlong  west  of  the  leading  road  that  passes  through 
this  townland  there  is  in  the  farm  of  Michael  M'Mullan  a 
Standing  Stone  6|  feet  high,  3  feet  broad  and  1^  feet  thick, 
called  Cloughberragh ;  a  number  of  similar  Standing  Stones 
formerly  stood  near  it  but  they  have  been  from  time  to  time 
removed.  About  2  furlongs  south  of  Cloghberragh,  in  the 
farm  of  Edward  Reilly,  stands  another  stone  4^  feet  above 
the  surface,  3  feet  10  inches  broad  and  9  inches  thick;  this 
stone  is  in  the  fence  of  a  lane.  There  is  in  the  farm  a  cave 
which  was  discovered  in  1826  but  it  is  now  closed.  Neal 
M'Mullan  in  reclaiming  some  ground  discovered,  in  1818,  a 
gold  gorget  quite  thin  and  ornamented  round  the  edge  ;  he 
sold  it  in  Belfast  for  £8.  There  is  in  the  farm  of  James 
IVFCaula  a  cave  said  to  be  of  considerable  extent  but  it  is 
now  closed  up. — See  Ord,  Surv.  MS. 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  427 

In  Aghaleck  (Achadh-leice) — '-field  of  the  flag-stone," 
about  30  yards  west  of  the  road,  is  a  Standing  Stone  of 
sandstone,  4  feet  broad  and  1|  feet  thick  ;  it  is  named 
Capann-ir-vor — "the  giant's  cap."  Ten  yards  west  of  it  is 
another  large  stone  sunk  in  the  ground,  and  13  yards  south- 
west of  it  is  a  Standing  Stone  now  sloping  to  the  south-east, 
it  is  5 1  feet  long,  3  feet  broad  and  2  feet  thick.  These  stones 
seem  to  have  formed  part  of  some  ancient  monument  now 
disfigured.  There  is  a  cave  in  the  farm  of  Bryan  Keenan 
21  feet  long,  4  feet  high,  and  4  feet  wide,  but  at  present 
closed.  John  White  found  in  a  bog  in  this  townland  a 
bronze  flat  celt,  6  inches  long  and  3;^  inches  broad  at  the 
edge. — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

In  a  bog  a  little  north-west  of  the  church  of  Glenshesk, 
in  the  townland  of  Corvally,  is  a  Standing  Stone  of  triangular 
shape  5^  feet  high,  1  foot  9  inches  broad  on  one  side  and  1^ 
feet  on  each  of  the  other  two  sides  ;  twelve  feet  south-east 
of  it  is  another  that  rises  2|  feet  above  the  surface  ;  and 
twenty-seven  feet  north-east  of  the  large  stone  stands  a  third.* 
They  are  said  to  mark  the  spot  where  were  interred  the 
remains  of  James  Anderson  who  was  murdered  for  betraying 
the  M'Quillans  to  the  M'Donnells.  About  120  yards  south- 
west of  these  stones  stands  a  similar  stone.  In  this  townland 
there  are  along  the  base  of  Knock-layd,  the  foundations  of 
several  very  small  ancient  houses — called  "Danes'  Houses;" 
the  walls  are  very  broad  and  built  of  large  stones  and  clay. 
In  the  farm  of  John  Boyd  there  is  the  site  of  an  ancient 
graveyard  called  I[iUe2)haul.    The  graves  are  stone-lined  and 

*  In  1879,  during  some  agricultural  operations,  urns  and  stone-lined 
graves  were  found  near  these  stones.  The  interments  seem  to  have 
been  made  in  the  original  soil  over  which,  in  after  times,  a  deep  coat- 
ing of  turf  grew,  or  perhaps  floated. 


428  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

sunk  about  two  feet  beneath  the  surface.  In  a  portion  of 
the  site  three  earthen  urns,  filled  with  calcined  bones  and 
ashes,  were  found.  Here  are  two  caves  of  the  usual 
construction  ;  in  one  of  them,  situated  a  few  perches  from 
the  graveyard,  ornamented  earthen  urns  containing  bones 
and  ashes  were  found  some  years  before  1838. — See  Ord. 
Surv.  MS. 

There  is  lying  in  a  bog  in  Doonfin  a  stone  column  8  feet 
long,  from  1  to  2  feet  broad,  and  1  foot  8  inches  thick ;  it  is 
supposed  to  have  once  been  a  monumental  stone,  for  near 
its  base  was  found  a  pavement  of  stones  such  as  frequently 
is  found  around  the  base  of  such  stones.  It  is  a  little 
north-west  of  the  public  road.  On  a  lofty  hill  overhanging 
the  river  Shesk  is  the  fort  of  Doonfin  rising  from  3  to  8  feet 
above  the  surrounding  ground.  Its  summit  is  an  oval, 
measuring  15  by  10  yards,  and  commanding  a  beautiful 
prospect  of  the  adjacent  glens,  hills  and  mountains. 

Doonfin  is  associated  in  all  the  local  legendary  tales  with 
Fionn  MacCumhail  (Finn  MacCool).  It  was  here,  it  is  said,  he 
slew  his  favourite  hound,  Bran,  The  ferocious  animal,  excited 
by  a  weary  and  unsuccessful  chase,  was  rushing  back  ready 
to  destroy  his  master  and  thousands  besides,  when  the  aged 
warrior  hurled  his  unerring  dart  and  Bran  rolled  in  the 
contortions  of  death  into  the  Shesk.  Fionn  never  afterwards 
prosecuted  the  chase  but  he  solaced  his  sorrows  by  composing 
on  Doonfin  beautiful  lamentations  for  Bran  which  are  yet 
(1838)  repeated  in  Glenshesk.*     South  of  Doonfin  there  is, 

*  Mr.  Connolly  in  his  account  of  Ramoan  printed  in  Mason's 
Parochial  Survey,  published  in  1816,  says  that  there  is  a  curious  Irish 
manuscript  in  the  possession  of  Charles  M'Gildowney,  Esq.  It  is  a 
heroic  poem  and  the  Irish  characters  are  admirably  written.  He  also 
says  that  the  "  Irish  Cry  "  is  still  kept  up  among  the  Catholics  of 
Kamoan  and  is  arranged  with  more  melancholy  sweetness  than  in 


THE  PARISH  OF  EAMOAN.  429 

in  the  townland  of  Ardagh,  a  high  hill,  Slievenamaunfuin — 
"  the  mountain  of  Fionn's  wives,"  so  named  from  two  white 
stones,  that  stood  within  a  few  feet  of  each  other  on  the  east 
side  of  the  hill,  said  to  be  two  of  Fionn's  wives  enchanted 
into  stone.  These  stones  are  now  removed  from  their 
original  positions ;  one  of  them  is  lying  on  the  site  and  the 
other  is  placed  in  a  fence. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Shesk  in  the  farm  of  Thomas  Casley, 
in  Ardagh,  are  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  building  called  "the 
Friars'  House."  It  seems  to  have  been  40  feet  by  20  in  the 
inside  ;  what  remains  of  it  now  are  portions  of  the  sidewalls 
40  feet  in  length,  3  feet  in  breadth  and  from  1  to  2  feet  in 
height  built  of  stone  and  lime.  A  number  of  ancient  cherry 
trees  still  bear  fruit,  and  some  fertile  spots  along  the  Shesk 
are  said  to  have  been  the  flower  and  fruit  gardens  of  the 
friars,  and  are  now  called  "  the  Vinyard."  Adjoining  to  it 
was  an  ancient  fishpond.  It  was  here  the  Franciscan  friars 
established  their  "  Locus  RefugU,"  when  expelled  from 
Carrickfergus  and  Bunnamargy,  A  list  of  "  suspected  men 
in  Ulster  "  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  is  preserved  among 
the  Carte  Papers,  Bodleian  Library,  vol.  xxxiv,  p.  290,  and 
among  these  suspected  are  "  Hugh  O'Doi-nan,  chief  of  the 
friars  of  Glenwalch  (a  mistake  for  Glenshesk)  in  ye  Barony 
of  Carry,  and  ye  rest  of  ye  friars  there."  Primate  Oliver 
Plunket  in  his  report  on  the  state  of  religion  in  Down  and 
Connor  in  1671,  says — "In  the  Convent  of  Carrickfergus, 
in  the  diocese  of  Connor,  there  ai-e  ten  Franciscans  of  whom 
only  five  are  priests.  Amongst  these  Hugh  O'Dornan  and 
Daniel  O'Mellan  are  distinguished  in  preaching.       There  is 

other  parts  of  Ireland.  It  consists  of  six  notes,  the  first  four  of 
which  are  chaunted  in  a  low  and  solemn  tone,  the  concluding  two 
more  loud  and  rapid.     This  ancient  custom  has  now  disappeared. 


430  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

a  certain  Paul  O'Haran  who  is  well  versed  in  literature." 
Hugh  O'Dornan  was  elected  Guax-dian  of  the  Franciscan 
Convent  of  Carrickfergus  in  1645  and  held  the  office  until 
February  4th,  1648.  He  held  the  same  office  from  Sept. 
8th,  1661,  until  October  18th,  1669,  and  he  was  again 
elected  to  it,  August  23rd,  1675,  and  held  it  until  March 
14th,  1681.  We  may  therefore  presume  that  the  "Friars' 
House,"  in  Glenshesk,  was  erected  shortly  after  the  Act  of 
Explanation  which  reinstated  the  Marquis  of  Antrim  in  his 
estates.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  south-west  of  the  "Friars' 
House,"  are  the  "  Friars' Wells,"  or  Tohar-na-mhr altar,  three 
springs  in  a  line  of  twelve  yards  along  a  ''  bridle  "  road  at  the 
base  of  a  lofty  hill.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  the 
Friars'  House  is  a  stone  5  feet  long,  3  feet  broad^  and  1  foot  8 
inches  thick,  having  a  circular  basin  10  inches  in  diameter  and 
7^  inches  in  depth,  hollowed  in  it.  This  stone  is  raised  about 
\^  feet  above  the  ground  by  several  stones  placed  under  its 
ends.  It  is  seated  on  a  rocky  eminence  in  the  farm  of  John 
M'Caula  close  to  the  village  of  Ardagh.  On  tlie  east  side 
of  it  4|  feet  square  was  enclosed  by  rows  of  stones  sunk  on 
their  ends.  Close  to  it  on  the  north-east  side  are  traces  of 
ancient  houses  and  small  enclosures,  5|  feet  square  on  the 
inside,  bounded  by  flat  stones  fixed  on  their  ends  and  rising 
from  1  to  4  feet  above  the  surface. — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS.  A 
few  perches  south  of  Ardagh  townland,  across  the  Sroanboy 
burn,  is  the  Grave  of  M'  Quillin,  where,  it  is  said,  the  last 
chieftain  of  that  name  perished.  Ardagh  is  named  in  The 
Four  Masters  Ard-achadh — "  the  high  field,"  as  the  site  of 
an  important  battle,  fought  a.d.  1095. 

"  A  great  victory  was  gained  at  Ard-achadh,  by  the  Dal-araidhe, 
over  the  Ulidians,  wherein  was  slain  Lochlaiun  Ua  Cairill  (O'Carroll), 
royal  heir  of  Ulidia  ;  and  Gillachomhghaill  (servant  of  Comgall)  Ua 
Cairill ;  and  a  great  host  along  with  them." 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  431 

Knocklayd  or  soxne  place  in  its  vicinity  was  the  scene  of  a 
great  battle  which  is  recorded  by  The  Four  Masters  under 
the  year  622. 

"The  battle  of  Lethed-Midinn  (pronounced  Lehed-Midinn),  at 
Drung,  was  fought  by  Fiachna,  son  of  Deman,  Lord  of  Dal-Fiatach, 
against  Fiachna,  son  of  Baedan,  King  of  UUdia.  The  battle  was 
gained  over  Fiachna,  son  of  Baedan,  and  he  fell  therein." 

Dr.  O'Donovan  supposed  Lethed-Midinn  to  be  Knock- 
layd, Midinn  is  a  name  which  is  not  met  elsewhere  in  Irish 
literature,  there  is,  however,  a  legendary  individual  Miclhe, 
the  son  of  Brath,  son  of  Detha,  who  is  mentioned  in  the 
Dinnseanchas  as  the  first  of  the  Milesians  who  lighted  the 
sacred  fire  on  the  Hill  of  Uisneach  in  Westmeath.  On  the 
summit  of  Knock-layd  stand  the  ruins  of  a  grey  cairn  which 
seems  to  have  been  15  yards  in  diameter  but  is  now  com- 
pletely disfigured  by  modern  erections.  This  cairn  is  named 
Cairn-an-truaigh,  perhaps  from  truagh  "  woe,"  but  in 
popular  pronunciation  the  last  word  is  changed  frequently 
into  truir  and  the  name  translated — "  the  cairn  of  the  three." 
There  is  a  legend  about  three  Norwegians  buried  beneath  it, 
while  another  version  of  it  tells  that  a  Scottish  lady,  named 
M'Leod,  and  her  two  children  are  there  interred.  At  the 
eastern  base  of  the  mountain  is  a  Standing  Stone  7  feet 
high,  5|  feet  broad  and  5J  feet  thick,  which  was  enclosed 
by  a  circle  of  stones,  24  feet  in  diameter,  some  of  which  yet 
remain.  In  1823  three  two-edged,  sharp-pointed  bronze 
swords,  1  foot  6|  inches,  each  having  two  rivet-holes,  were 
found  stuck  perpendicularly  in  the  subsoil  on  the  summit  of 
the  mountain. — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

CHURCHES. 

In  times  of  persecution  the  Catholics  of  Ramoan  attended 


432  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

at  the  celebration  of  Mass  at  the  Friary  in  Ardagh.  Mass 
was  celebrated  in  Kilcraig,  and  at  Carnsaggart  in  Gortconny. 
Towards  the  end  of  last  century  the  principal  Mass  Station 
was  a  garden  in  Broombeg  which  at  pi'esent  belongs  to 
William  M'Clarty  ;*  that  garden  was  offered  in  1794  as  a  site 
for  a  chapel  but  the  Catholics  preferred  to  have  their  chapel 
in  Bally  castle.  Hugh  Boyd,  Esq.,  on  the  16th  of  January, 
1795,  granted  to  the  Rev.  Roger  Murray  a  lease  in  perpetuity 
of  a  plot  of  ground  in  the  north-east  of  what  had  been  called 
Whitty's  Park  and  which  had  been  in  the  possession  of 
Patrick  O'Scally.  On  this  Father  Murray  erected  a  little 
chapel  which  was  afterwards  enlarged  and  re-dedicated  in 
1838.  Father  M'Alister  determined  on  erecting  a  new 
church  and  converting  the  old  chapel  into  schools ;  he 
obtained  from  the  late  Mrs.  Keats  Boydf  5  acres  of  ground,  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  sites  for  a  church  that  could  be  found, 
commanding   a    delightful    view   of  the   beautiful   scenery 

*Iii  1766,  the  vicar  of  Ramoan  reported,  that  there  were  ia  the 
parish  354  Protestant  families,  and  86  Papist  families.  According  to 
the  Census  Return  of  1881,  there  were  in  the  civil  parish  1,326 
Catholics,  and  2,098  belonging  to  all  other  denominations. 

t  "to  the  editor  of  the  'northern  whig.' 
"Sir — I  desire  through  the  medium  of  your  journal  to  acknow- 
ledge, with  feelings  of  sincere  gratitude,  on  behalf  of  the  Catholic 
people  of  this  parish,  the  receipt  of  £50  from  Mrs.  Amy  Boj^d 
towards  the  building  Fund  for  the  new  Church  of  SS.  Patrick  and 
Brigid,  Ballycastle.  This  liberal  contribution  is  the  more  highly 
appreciated  as  it  is  the  spontaneous  offering  of  the  generous  donor. 
The  very  excellent  site  (a  plot  of  five  acres  of  ground)  on  which  the 
new  church  is  to  be  built,  is  also  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Boyd,  The  liberal 
sentiments  expressed  in  the  appended  letter,  which  accompanied  the 
donation,  do  honour  to  Mrs.  Boyd  and  to  her  worthy  and  benevolent 
son-in-law,  and  will,  no  doubt,  be  read  with  much  pleasure  by  the 
tenants  of  the  Ballycastle  estate. — I  remain,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 
"Ballycastle,  May  10,  1869."  "P.  M'Alister. 


THE  PARISH  OF  KAMOAN.  433 

around  Ballycastle  and  of  the  distant  hills  of  Cantyre.  The 
site  is  an  elevated  piece  of  table-land,  immediately  adjoining, 
but  rising  high  above,  the  streets  of  the  town.  The  plans  for 
the  new  church  were  prepared  by  the  Rev.  Jer.  K.  M'Auley, 
Archt.,  who  was  at  that  time  curate  of  Oushendall.  The 
foundation  stone  was  blessed  and  laid,  June  7th,  1870,  by 
Father  M'Aulay  by  permission  of  Dr.  Dorrian,  who  was  then 
attending  the  General  Council  in  Rome.  In  a  cavity  pre- 
pared in  the  foundation-stone  was  placed  a  bottle  in  which 

were  deposited  a  few  coins,  some  of  which  bore  the  date 
1870  ;  two  hymns — one  in  honour  of  St.  Patrick,  the  other 
of  St.  Brigid,  and  the  following  scroll : — 

"  Quo  tempore  Revmus.  Dom.  Dom.  Patricius  Dorrian,  Dunensis 
et  Connoriensis  Episcopus  Concilio  Vaticano  aderat  ;  Revus.  Dom. 
Jeremias  Ryan  M'Aulay,  Vicarius  de  Cushendall,  qui  ichnographias 
confectas  donaverat,  ad  istam  functionem,  Revdo.  Dom.  Patricio 
M'Alister,  parocho,  rogante,  delegatus  primarium  hunc  lapidem 
benedixit  et  in  fundamento  ecclesise  SS.  Patricii  et  Brigids  apud 
Ballycastle,  collocavit ;  inspectante  frequentissimo  populo,   qui  una 

"  14  Oxford  Terrace,  St.  Leonard's-on-Sea, 
5th  May,  1869. 

"  Rev.  Sir— I  thank  you  upon  Mrs.  Boyd's  behalf,  as  well  as  upon 
my  own,  for  your  kind  expression  of  acknowledgment  for  the  assist- 
ance given  to  you  in  obtaining  a  site  for  a  new  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  I  can  assure  you  that  Mrs.  Boyd  has  been  actuated  by  no 
other  motive  than  one  of  common  justice  to  her  Roman  Catholic 
tenants  in  acceding  to  your  request.  When  I  told  her  that  I  objected 
to  the  proposed  site,  as  named  by  the  late  Mr.  Boyd,  she  gave  me 
authority  to  act  as  I  should  think  proper,  at  the  same  time  remark- 
ing that  all  her  tenants,  irrespective  of  creed,  should  receive  from 
her  the  consideration  due  to  them.  T  have  now  the  pleasure  to 
enclose  herein,  at  her  request,  a  cheque  for  £50  on  the  Northern 
Bank,  Ballycastle,  in  your  favour,  as  her  donation  to  your  building. — 
I  am.  Rev.  Sir,  yours  faithfully,  "  Jko.  Gower  O'Neill. 

"The  Rev.  P.  M'Alister,  P.P.,  Ballycastle." 

2  c 


434  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

cum  aliquot  sacerdotibus  occasioni  honoris  causa   occurrerat   feria 
tertia  post  Pentecosten,  die  Septima  Junii  anno  rep.  sal.  1870."  * 

The  church  was  solemnly  dedicated  under  the  invocation 
of  St.  Patrick  and  St.  Brigid  on  Sunday,  August  9th,  1874, 
by  Dr.  Dorrian.  The  dedication  Sermon  was  preached  by 
Dr.  Conroy,  Bishop  of  Ardagh  and  Clonmacnois,  High 
Mass  was  celebrated  by  the  Rev.  John  Carroll,  P.P.,  Armoy. 
Father  J.  Lennon  was  Deacon,  Father  H.  Henry,  Sub- 
deacon,  Rev.  Mr.  Watters,  Master  of  Ceremonies,  and 
Father  P.  Magorrian,  Assistant  at  the  Throne.  The 
collection  on  the  occasion  amounted  to  J6530.  The  style  of 
architecture  is  the  Gothic  of  the  twelfth  century.  The 
western  fagade  is  very  imposing ;  over  the  double  door,  with 
its  enriched  jambs  and  head,  a  label  moulding  springs, 
enclosing  a  triangular  space  for  sculpture.  Above  this  is 
a  triple  lancet  window,  the  centre  light  of  which  is  21  feet  in 
length,  and  each  light  is  2  ft.  2  in.  broad.  The  north  and  south 
aisles  are  lighted  by  coupled  lancets,  with  quartre-foils  at  the 
springing.  The  sanctuary  has  a  large  triple  light  window. 
The  lady  chapel  is  similarly  lighted.  At  the  western  corner 
of  the  south  aisle  the  commencement  of  a  tower  of  sixteen 
feet  square  is  carried  up  only  so  high  that  it  is  for  the 
present  roofed  in  by  a  prolongation  of  the  roof  of  the 
aisle ;  it  is,  however,  intended  to  be  surmounted  by  a 
broach  spire  rising  about  120  feet.  The  church  is  in  the 
clear  about  104  feet   in  length   and   50   feet  in  breadth  ;  it 

*  "  At  the  time  that  the  Most  Rev.  Patrick  Dorrian,  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor, 
was  present  at  the  Vatican  Council,  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  R.  M' Aulay,  C  C. ,  Cushendall, 
who  had  drawn  and  made  a  present  of  the  plans  being  delegated  to  this  function, 
at  the  request  of  the  Rev.  Patrick  M'Alister,  P.P.,  blessed  and  laid  this  foundation- 
stone  of  the  Church  of  SS.  Patrick  and  Brigid  at  Ballycastle,  in  presence  of  a  large 
crowd  of  people,  who.  together  with  some  priests,  had  assembled  in  honour  of  the 
occasion,  on  the  Tuesday  after  Pentecost,  the  7th  day  of  June,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1S70." 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN,  435 

consists  of  anave  and  aisles.  The  north  aisle,  which  is  intended 
to  have  at  the  west  end  a  Calvary,  is  terminated  at  the  east  end 
bya  chapel  of  OurLady  containing  a  beautiful  altar, the  reredos 
of  which  is  sculptured  to  represent  the  Fifteen  Mysteries  of 
the  Rosary  of  the  B.  V.  Mary.  The  triple  window  over  the 
altar  displays  a  beautiful  lily  in  the  stained  glass  of  each  of 
its  lights.  The  Rosary  Altar  is  privileged  inperpetuum.  This 
chapel  cost  =£200.  The  south  aisle  terminates  at  its  west  end 
with  a  baptistry,  and  at  its  east  end  with  sacristies.  In  length, 
the  nave  is  divided  by  columns  and  arches  into  five  bays,  of  six- 
teen feet  each.  The  sanctuary,  twenty-one  feet  six  inches 
wide  by  twenty-four  feet  in  clear,  contains  a  beautiful  ly  designed 
and  costly  sculptured  altar.  The  external  finish  of  the  church  is 
in  quarry  picked  broken  freestone  ashlaring,  with  cut-stone 
polished  dressings.  The  roof  is  open  timbered,  the  timbers 
being  all  planed,  stained  and  varnished. 

The  church  of  Glenshesk,  in  the  townland  of  Corvally, 
was  erected  by  Father  Hugh  M'Cartan.  A  slab  inserted  in 
the  gable  bears  the  following  inscription  : — 

Glenishesk  Chapel, 

Erected  A.D.  1827. 

The  site  tvas  the  generous  gift  of 

Mrs.  Cuppage. 

The  grounds,  which  occupy  a  statute  acre,  were  planted 

and  ornamented  by  the  Cuppage  family. 

Father  M'Alister  altered,  in  1875,  the  old  church  of 
Bally  castle  into  a  School-house ;  and  in  1879  and  1880 
erected  the  Parochial  House  on  the  grounds  attached  to  the 
new  church. 

PARISH    PRIESTS. 

After  the  change  in  the  religion  of  the  state  the  necessities 


436  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

of  the  Catholic  Church  compelled  her  to  unite  the  pai-ish  of 
Ramoan  with  the  union  of  Armoy  and  Ballintoy,  and  it  was 
only  in  1825  that  it  was  severed  from  that  union.  In  that 
year  Dr.  Crolly  was  waited  on  in  Mr.  Edmund  MacGildowney's 
— at  the  Quay,  Ballycastle,  by  some  of  the  Catholic  inhabit- 
ants of  Ramoan,  in  order  to  solicit  him  to  appoint  a  separate 
parish  priest.  The  Bishop  requested  them  to  walk  with 
him  through  the  warren,  and  they  there  debated  the 
question.  They  undertook  to  pay  at  least  .£40  per  annum 
for  the  support  of  a  parish  priest,  and  he  undertook  to 
provide  them  with  one  in  a  few  days.  Father  M'Cann 
surrendered  the  parish  of  Ramoan,  and  Dr.  Crolly,  about 
the  1st  of  A-ugust,  1825,  appointed  a  friar  named  M'Carril, 
who  had  officiated  for  some  time  in  Kilcoo.  Father  M'Carril 
does  not  appear  to  have  suited  the  new  parish,  and  left  in  a 
few  months. 

The  Rev.  Hugh  M'Cartan  was  then  appointed.  Father 
M'Cartan  was  born  in  the  year  1800,  in  Di'umena,  parish  of 
Kilcoo ,  entered  the  class  of  Humanity  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  January  18th,  1818;  was  ordained  by  Dr. 
Murray,  in  Maynooth,  in  1823,  and  was  appointed  parish 
l>riest  of  Ramoan,  in  1825.  He  erected  the  church  of 
Glenshesk  ;  and  in  March,  1828,  he  was  appointed  parish 
priest  of  Derryaghy. 

Father  M'Cartan  was  succeeded  by  Father  John  M'Mullan; 
he  was  born  in  Erynagh,  parish  of  Bright,  in  the  year 
1798  :  entered  the  Rhetoric  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth, 
September  13th,  1822  ;  was  ordained  by  Di\  Murray  in 
Mavnooth,  at  Pentecost,  1826  j  was  curate  of  Derryaghy, 
from  which  he  was  appointed  in  March,  1828,  parish  priest 
of  Ramoan.  He  died  January  2nd,  1830,  and  was  interred 
within  the  church  of  Ballycastle.       "  On  Saturday,  the  2nd 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN. 


437 


inst.,  the  Rev.  John  M'MuUan,  P.P.  of  Ballycastle.  This 
estimable,  pious,  and  charitable  ecclesiastic,  bad  not  attained 
the  32nd  year  of  his  age  when  he  was  called  by  his  Creator 
to  receive  the  reward  of  his  virtue.  The  mildness  of  his 
manners,  and  the  unaffected  piety,  by  which  he  was  charac- 
terised, conciliated  to  him  the  affections  of  all  who  knew 
him.  By  his  death,  the  poor  have  sustained  a  loss  not  easily 
reparable."— T/ie  Guardian,  Belfast,  January  I2th,  1830. 

Father  Charles  Hendron  succeeded  Father  M'Mullan  ;  he 
was  born  in  Castle  Street,  Belfast,  in  1789  ;  entered  the 
Class  of  Humanity  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  April  7th, 
1810  ;  was  ordained  on  the  30  th  of  November,  1816,  by  Dr. 
Troy  ;  officiated  as  Curate  in  Belfast,  from  which  he  was 
appointed  parish  priest  of  Derryaghy  towards  the  end  of 
1824;  resigned  that  parish  in  March,  1828,  and  was 
appointed  parish  priest  of  Bamoan  in  January,  1830.  He 
died  on  the  10th  of  March,  1840,  and  was  interred  in  the 
church  of  Ballycastle.  "  The  body  was  placed  in  a  grave  at 
the  foot  of  the  sanctuary  to  mingle  with  the  ashes  of  his 
predecessors."     Vindicator. 

When  the  old  church  was  changed  into  a  school.  Father 
M'Alister  transferred  the  remains  of  Fathers  M'Mullan  and 
Hendron  to  the  graveyard  attached  to  the  new  church,  and 
erected  over   their  grave   a  cross  on  the   base  of   which  is 

inscribed  : — 

Pray  for 

Rev.  John  M^Mullan, 

Born  near  Bownpatrick,  A.D.  1800, 

Appointed   P.P.    of  Ramoan,    March,    1828, 

Died    November,    1830. 

And  his  Successor,  Rev.   Charles  Hendron, 

Born  in  Belfast,   1789. 

Ajypointed  P.P.,  of  Ramoan,  1830, 

Died  March,  1840. 


438  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

Their  remains  were  translated  from  the  old  Chapel,  where 
tlieir  bodies  had  been  first  interred  into  this  cemetery  on  the 
\lth  of  February,  1875.     R.I.P. 
The  Kev.   George  Dempsey  was  born    in    the    parish   of 
Maghera,  or  Bryansford,  Co.  Down.    He  studied  in  the  college 
of  Kilkenny.     A  note  in  the  handwriting  of  Dr.  M'Miillan 
referring  to  the  dates  of  the  ordination  of  priests  is  : — "  la 
March,  1811,  Hugh  O'Neill  and  Patrick  Bradley,  of  Connor, 
and  George  Dempsey  of  Down."     They   were   ordained   by 
Dr.  M'Mullan  in  Downpatrick,  on  the  11th  of  March,  1811 
(see  Vol.  i,  p.  30).     Father  Dempsey  officiated  as  curate  in 
several  parishes ;  one  of  these  was  Maghera  or  Bryansford, 
where  he  was  appointed  A.dministrator  under  Father  Murray 
in  1824 ;  he  was  Curate  of  Glenarm  when  he  was  appointed 
in   1840  to  the   curacy  of  Ramoan,  and  after  the  death  of 
Father  Hendron  he  succeeded  to  the  parish.     He  retired  on  a 
pension  at  Easter,  1848,  and  went  to  reside  with  his  relatives  at 
Blaris,     near    Lisburn,     where    he    died,    February    11th, 
1850.       He    was    interred    in    the    grave    of    his    uncle. 
Father  Edward  Dempsey,  in  the  church   of  Lisburn.     The 
Rev,  James  M'Glenon  succeeded  Father  Dempsey.     He  was 
born  in  the  Tievendarragh,  parish  of  Loughinisland  ;  studied 
in  the  Diocesan   College  ;  entered   the   Logic   Class  in    the 
college  of  Maynooth,  August  25th,    1839;  was  ordained  in 
Maynooth  by  Dr.  Murray,  June  10th,  1843  ;  was  appointed 
Curate    of    Downpatrick,    September     22nd,-    1843;     was 
appointed  Administrator  of  Ramoan,  April  20th,  1848,  and 
became  parish  priest  on  the  resignation  of  Father  Dempsey. 
He  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Duncane,  September  3rd, 
1862. 

The  Rev.  Patrick  M'Alister  succeeded  Father  M'Glenon. 
He  was  born  in  Bonecastle,  parish  of  Down,   was  baptized 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  439 

by  the  Rev.  Cornelius  Denvix*  (afterwards  Bishop  of  Down 
and  Connor)  on  April  12th,  1826  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College  ;  entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth, 
August  27th,  1848  ;  was  ordained  in  Clarendon  St.  Chapel, 
Dublin,  by  Dr  Whelan,  Bishop  of  Bombay,  September  18th, 
1852  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Ballymena,  November  18th,  1852; 
sent  on  a  temporary  mission,  as  locum  tenens  to  Glenravel,  while 
Father  Connor  was  engaged  in  building  St.  Patrick's  Church 
in  the  Braid,  where  he  officiated  from  December,  1853,  till 
March,  1854;  returned  to  Ballymena  and,  after  a  few 
months,  was  appointed  Curate  of  the  Lower  Ards, 
April,  1854  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Ahoghill  in  October, 
1856,  but  sent  to  take  charge  of  Ballymoney  until  Father 
M'Erlain,  the  recently  appointed  parish  priest  of  that  parish, 
could  go  from  the  Diocesan  College  to  it,  which  did  not 
occur  until  March  10th,  1857  ;  was  curate  of  Ahoghill  until 
May,  1858,  when  he  was  appointed  Administrator  of  Holy- 
wood  and  Ballymacarrett,  while  Father  Killen,  the  parish 
priest,  was  administering  the  parish  of  Belfast  tor  Dr. 
Denvir.  Father  M'Alister  caught  scarlatina  in  Holywood 
when  discharging  his  duties  and  was  sometime  off  the  mission 
through  sickness.  He  afterwards  officiated  two  months  in 
Saul,  three  months  in  Ballymena  and  fourmonthsin  Glenravel; 
after  which  he  was  re-appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Holywood 
and  Ballymacarrett ;  from  that  mission  he  was  appointed 
parish  priest  of  Ramoan,  September  2nd,  1862.  At  a 
meeting  of  the  parish  priests  held  in  the  chapel  of  the  Diocesan 
College,  November  6th,  1885,  immediately  after  the  funeral 
of  the  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Dorrian,*  Father  M'Alister  was  elected 

*  The  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Dorrian  died  at  the  Episcopal  Palace,  Chi- 
chester Park,  Belfast,  November  3rd,  1885,  at  7  a.m.;  his  remains 
were  interred  within  the  chancel  of  St.  Patrick's,  Belfast,  on  Friday, 
November  6th. 


440  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

Vicar  Capitular  of  Down  and  Connor.  On  the  26  th  of 
November,  1885,  the  parish  priests  again  assembled  in  the 
same  place  and  under  the  presidency  of  the  Primate  elected 
the  Rev.  Alexander  M'Mullan,  P.P.,  Duneane,  by  8  votes 
as  Dignus,  the  Rev.  John  M'Erlaine,  P.P.,  Ballymoney,  by 
9  votes  as  Dignior,  and  the  Rev.  Patrick  M'Alister  by 
24  votes  as  Dignissimus  for  selection  by  the  Pope  for  the 
vacant  bishopric*  His  Holiness  having  appointed  Dr. 
M'Alister,  his  Lordship  was  consecrated  in  St.  Patrick's, 
Belfast,  on  Sunday,  March  28th,  1886.  The  consecrating 
prelate  was  the  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Nulty,  Bishop  of  Meath, 
who  was  assisted  by  the  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Donnelly,  Bishop  of 
Clogher,  and  the  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Woodlock,  Bishop  of 
Ardagh  and  Clonmacnoise.f 

When  Dr.  M'Alister,  on  the  9th  of  July,  1886,  made  his 
first  episcopal  visitation  of  the  parish  of  Ramoan,  a 
deputation  of  the  parishioners  waited  on  him  at  the  Parochial 
House  for  the  purpose  of  reading  to  him  an  address  and 
presenting  him  with  a  pectoral  Cross  and  Chain.  The 
following  is  a  copy  of  the  address  : — 

"  My  Loed, — It  is  with  sentiments  of  the  deepest  filial  affection 
that  we,  your  own  beloved  parishioners,  desire  to  bid  your  Lordship 
a  hearty  welcome  to-day,  and  to  express  our  thanks  that  Almighty 
God,  although  depriving  us  of  a  loving  pastor,  has  been  pleased  to 
place  the  mitre  of  this  illustrious  diocese  on  the  head  of  one  so  learned 
so  patriotic,  and  so  holy. 

*  There  were  two  votes  for  Rev.  Eichard  Marner,  D.D.,  P.P., 
Kilkeel,  2  votes  for  Rev.  Henry  Henry,  D.D.,  President  of  the 
Diocesan  College,  and  1  vote  for  the  Most  Kev.  Dr.  Logue,  Bishop 
of  Raphoe. 

+  the  sermon  on  the  occasion  was  preached  by  the  most  Rev.  Dr. 
Logue,  Bishop  of  Raphoe  ;  His  Grace,  the  Primate,  Dr.  M'Gettigan, 
was  present  but  on  account  of  the  state  of  his  health  did  not  officiate. 


THE  PARISH  OF  RAMOAN.  441 

My  Lord,  your  life  for  the  past  23  years  has  been  entirely  devoted 
to  our  service,  you  have  raised  in  our  midst  a  magnificent  Church,  of 
which  we  are  justly  proud,  and  which,  together  with  the  Parochial 
House  and  Schools,  you  have  given  us,  shall  long  remain  a  monument 
of  your  energy  and  zeal.  But  your  Lordship's  eflforts  to  promote  the 
glory  of  God  did  not  rest  here  ;  you  also  endeavoured  constantly 
and  earnestly,  both  by  word  and  example,  to  instil  into  our  hearts  a 
great  love  for  God,  and  an  undying  devotion  to  our  holy  Faith, 

My  Lord,  we  had  vainly  hoped  that  after  giving  the  brightest  days 
of  your  life  to  us,  those  which  yet  remain  might  have  been  ours  as 
well.  But  the  hand  of  God  has  raised  you  to  a  more  exalted  position 
and  we  sincerely  pray  that  He  may  grant  you  long  years  of  health 
and  happiness  to  rule  your  faithful  people. 

We  beg  you  will  be  pleased  to  accept,  as  a  slight  token  of  our  deep 
love  for  you,  the  accompanying  Pectoral  Cross  and  Chain,  and  that 
you  will  ever  regard  us  as  your  own  especial  care,  and  Ballycastle  as 
your  home. 

Signed  on  behalf  of  the  parishioners  of  Ramoan  : — 
Daniel  M'Kinley.         James  Clarke.  Henry  Butler. 

Neil  M'Laughlin.        E.  F.  M 'Cambridge.       William  M' Henry. 
Charles  Darragh.         Anthony  M'Kinley. 
John  Black.  Charles  M'Laughlin. 

His  Lordship,  in  the  course  of  his  reply,  said — 

My  dear  friends,  it  is  with  feelings  of  deep  emotion  that  I  receive  the 
address  of  welcome  and  the  present  which  your  generosity  has  offered 
me  to-day.  For  both  I  beg  to  tender  to  you,  and  through  you,  to  the 
people  of  this  parish,  my  most  sincere  and  cordial  thanks.  It  is  true 
I  have  spent  the  last  twenty  three  jTcars  of  my  life  amongst  you.  It 
was  a  great  happiness  to  me  to  work  for  a  people,  who  always  showed 
a  ready  willingness  to  co-operate  in  the  promotion  of  every  good 
work  which  I  undertook.  To  this  spirit  of  generous  co-operation  is 
mainly  due  the  success  of  those  works.  I  had  fondly  hoped,  that 
where  I  had  lived  so  long  and  so  happily  I  would  have  been  permitted 
to  end  my  days.  The  disappointment  of  that  hope  has,  I  assure  you, 
my  dear  friends,  caused  me  more  genuine  grief  than  any  occurrence 
of  my  life,  and  that  grief  is  increased  by  the  reflection  that  I  did  so 
little  for  the  Parish  of  Ramoan.  The  gift  which  you  have  presented 
to  me  I  esteem  very  highly  on  account  of  its  intrinsic  value  and 
artistic  beauty  ;  but  much  more  because  it  is  the  gift  of  the  people, 
whose  esteem  I  value  most,  and  whose  welfare  beyond  that  of  all 
others  shall  ever  be  dear  to  me.     When  I  wear  this  chain  and  cross 


442  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

at  the  Holy  Altar  I  will  not  forget  you — the  donors.  I  will  commend 
you  to  the  prayers  of  Saint  Patrick  and  Brigid,  and  ask  those  Holy 
Patrons  of  our  parish  and  our  country  to  obtain  for  you  the  grace  to 
be  always  true  to  faith  and  fatherland.  To-day  I  wish  to  bring  back 
to  your  recollection,  that  when  I  undertook  to  build  your  church  and 
its  altar,  the  primary  object  I  had  in  view  was  to  erect  a  becoming 
sanctuary,  where  our  Diviue  Saviour,  in  the  Sacrament  of  His  love, 
might  deign  to  dwell  in  your  midst,  and  to  bless  you.  And,  as  in 
my  present  position,  I  need  much  the  aid  of  your  holy  prayers,  1  ask 
you,  my  dear  friends,  when  you  pay  your  visits  to  our  Lord  on  the 
altar,  to  commend  me  to  the  mercy  of  His  Sacred  Heart. 

The  chain  and  cross,  which  were  manufactured  to  the 
order  and  special  design  of  Messrs.  Campbell  &  Company, 
Jewellers,  Belfast,  are  exquisitely  finished.  On  the  centre 
of  the  cross,  which  is  Celtic  in  form,  are  enamelled  the  arms 
of  Down  and  Connor,  while  on  the  right  and  left  arms  are 
engravings  of  Saints  Patrick  and  Brigid,  the  patrons  of  the 
parish  of  Ramoan.  On  the  circle  of  the  cross  is  the  motto 
"/w  hoc  signo  vinces"  and  on  the  back  the  following  inscription, 
"  This  Pectoral  Cross  and  Chain — T/ie  gift  of  his  parish- 
ioners to  the  Right  Rev.  Patrick  M'Alister,  on  the  occasion  of 
his  Ejiiscopal  Consecration,  March  28th,  1886. 


The  G7-ey  Stones,  near  the  Inver,  in  Moyarget,  were  the  remains  of 
a  funereal  monument — five  or  six  supporting  stones  about  five  feet 
long  and  a  cap-stone  about  eighteen  feet  long — the  monument  was 
examined,  in  1840,  by  Kev.  G.  Hill  and  other  antiquarians.  A  large 
urn,  placed  mouth  downward  on  a  pavement,  was  found  about  two 
eet  below  the  surface. 


THE  PARISH  OF  ARMOY. 


THE  parish  of  Armoy  is  almost  conterminous  with 
the  civil  parish. 
There  was  formerly  an  ancient  disused  cemetery  in  the 
townland  of  Turreagh  ;  it  was  in  the  middle  of  a  field  and 
mid-way  between  the  village  of  Crockachard  and  Altmore 
Burn.  The  site  is  now  under  tillage.  There  was  formerly 
in  the  village  of  Crockachard  a  high  Standing  Stone  which 
was  overturned,  many  years  ago,  and  lies  buried  where  it  fell. 
Stone-lined  graves  are  found  frequently  in  a  dry  hill  rising 
out  of  a  meadow  in  the  townland  of  Stroan ;  the  site  is  in 
the  farm  of  Daniel  M'Mullan  and  is  vei-y  near  Breen  School- 
house.  Two  ancient  stone  crosses^  standing  ten  yards  apart, 
occupy  conspicuous  positions  on  a  high  bank  in  Tullaghore, 
about  30  perches  north  of  the  county  road.  There  was 
formerly  a  Holy  Well  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  but  it  is  now 
dried  up.  Stations  were  formerly  held  here.  Bryan 
O'Byrne,  about  the  year  1851,  found  in  his  farm  in  Park- 
more,  or  Gortmillish,  a  gold  fibula  which  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Mant  sold  for  him  to  the  British  Museum  for  £17.  The 
Orel.  Surv.  MS.  notices  three  large  stones  in  a  piece  of 
marshy  ground  in  this  townland  ;  the  apex  of  the  triangle 
iormed  by  them  is  distant  40  feet  from  the  base.  A  cave  of 
the  usual  construction  was  discovered,  in  1836,  penetrating 
a  sand-bank  in  Monanclough.  In  William  M'Bride's  farm, 
in  that  townland,  a  large  stone,  called  the  Rocking  Stone 


444  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

rested  on  another  large  stone,  but  this  accidental  or  artificial 
curiosity  was  wantonly  destroyed  in  1883  with  gun-powder. 
A  Standing  Stone  which  probably  gives  name  to  the  town- 
land,  is  4  feet  7  inches  high,  3  feet  10  inches  broad,  and  1 
foot  4  inches  thick.  At  a  considerable  distance  up  the  side  of 
Knocklayd,  in  a  place  called  Park,  is  a  Holy  Well  named 
Tuhberna-suil.  In  Knockans  on  the  summit  of  a  small  hill  are 
the  remains  of  a  Cashiol,  partly  encompassed  with  a  ditch 
and  rampart.  The  foundation  stones  appear  to  have  been 
carefully  selected,  each  being  a  cube  of  two  feet ;  the  others 
are  not  so  regular.  A  cave  runs  under  the  Cashiol  but  it  is 
choked  up  with  large  stones.  The  fort  is  greatly  disfigured 
by  the  removal  of  stones  for  building  purposes.  At  a  con- 
siderable distance  south  of  the  cashiol  a  Standing  Stone, 
named  Clough  Berragh,  2  feet  4  inches  high,  2  feet  4  inches 
broad,  and  1  foot  6  inches  thick,  occupies  the  top  of  a  little 
conical  hill.  To  the  south-west  of  Clough-Berragh  is  the 
site  of  an  ecclesiastical  Cashiol  which  was  destroyed  in  1835. 
It  was  situated  in  the  hollow  of  a  hill  and  is  described  by 
the  people  as  having  been  surrounded  by  a  ditch  and  rampart 
with  a  great  wall  of  loose  stones ;  the  interior  had  once  been 
used  as  a  cemetery,  and  it  is  entered  on  the  Ordnance  Map — 
"  Site  of  Graveyard."  In  Hugh  M'Collum's  field  near  the 
site  there  is  a  well,  named  Tuhherhride.  There  is  a  cave  of 
the  usual  construction  in  Bunshanacloney  in  which  charcoal 
was  found.  Caves  are  very  numerous  in  this  parish,  there 
is  at  least  one  in  every  townland.  On  a  high  conical  hill, 
occupying  a  commanding  position  in  the  townland  of  Park, 
are  the  remains  of  a  castle  which  seems  to  have  been  an 
oblong  building  about  30  feet  by  15  feet ;  the  walls  were 
4|^  feet  thick  but  nothing  remains  of  it  exeept  the  founda- 
tions of  one  corner.     It  was  named  Castle-Ban  ;  and  it  is 


THE  PAKISH  OP  ARMOY.  445 

said  that  the  original  village  of  Avmoy  was  built,  on  the  top 
of  the  hill,  around  the  old  castle.  There  was  formerly  in  this 
townland  a  fort,  under  which  was  a  cave,  it  was  destroyed 
by  the  tenant,  one  Peacock,  who  found  in  and  about  it  a 
large  number  of  querns. 

Between  the  village  of  Armoy  and  the  church  is  a  high 
ridge  named  Drumrory,  which  seems  to  be  an  older  form  of 
the  name  of  the  townland,  Turnarobert,*  but  Drumrory  pre- 
serves the  name  of  the  prince  of  Dalriada,  who  heard  the 
cries  of  the  posthumous  child,  Olcan,  from  out  his  mother's 
tomb.  The  story  of  St.  Olcan's  birth,  as  told  in  the  Tripartite 
Life,  translated  from  the  Irish  by  Mr.  Hennesy,  has  already 
been  given  (see  p.  71).  In  the  larger  copy  of  the  Tripartite 
Life,  which  Colgan  translated,  the  name  of  the  prince  is  not 
Rori,  but  Darius  (Daire).  The  name,  however,  of  this  hill 
would  seem  to  indicate  the  correctness  of  the  smaller  Tri- 
partite. The  event  as  told  in  Colgan's  Tripartite  Life  of  St. 
Patrick  is  as  follows  : — 

"  He  came  theD,  first  to  a  certaia  place  of  the  territory  of  Dal-rieda 
towards  the  north,  called  Carn-Sedna,  in  which  he  met  the  prince  of 
that  territory,  named  Darius,  who  had  recourse  to  the  assisting 
power  of  the  saint  of  God  for  a  remedy  in  a  rare  and  wondrous  event. 
For,  when  the  prince  was  journeying  through  Dal-rieda  he  heard, 
coming  from  a  mound  which  he  was  passing,  a  sound  not  unlike  the 
wailing  of  a  little  crying  infant.  After  the  tomb  was  opened  he  found 
the  living  infant  lying  beside  its  dead  mother.  When  the  prince,  moved 
by  kindness,  was  compassionating  the  poor  orphan  he  called  him 
Olca7i,  that  is — '  wretched  little  creature '  (for  Ok  is  in  Irish  bad  or 
wretched)— hence  the  appellation  given  by  chance  became  afterwards 
his  name  and  when  the  infant  became  a  man  he  was  called  Olcan. 
The  holy  man  baptised  the  infant  and  afterwards  constituted  him, 
when  well  instructed  in  piety  and  literature,  bishop  of  the  church  of 
Rath-muy  (Rath  Mugiae)  or  as  others  call  it  Arhir-muy  (Arthur- 

*In  the  last  century  Rory  was  commonly  modernized  into  Robert ; 
Tor-na  Robert — "  the  round  hill  of  Robert." 


446  DIOCESE   OP    CONNOR. 

Mugiae),  the  chief  town  of  the  Dal-riedans. " — Ti'ip,  Life,  Part  II., 
ch.  128. 

It  is  probable  that  this  event  occurred  at  Drumbulcan — 
"  the  ridge  of  Olcaa  " — in  the  parish  of  Rasharkin,  where 
there  is  a  Holy  Well,  to  which  sick  children  used,  in  memory 
of  this  incident,  to  be  brought  on  May  Eve  (see  p.  70). 
Colgan  assigns  the  year  440  as  the  date  of  the  baptism  of 
Olcan.  Ic  may,  however,  be  that  the  child  had  been  brought 
home  to  Armey  by  his  finder,  Rori,  and  that  he  was  several 
years  old  when  St,  Patrick  baptised  him.  Jocelin  relates 
from  an  ancient  Life  that  Olcan  studied  for  many  years  in 
Graul.  Ussher  assigns  for  the  return  to  Ireland  of  Olcan  the 
year  450,  which  Colgan  thinks  is  too  early.  The  Book  of 
Armagh  relates  that  St.  Patrick  consecrated  St.  Olcan  a 
bishop  at  Dunseverick  (see  p.  306). 

The  Tripartite  Life,  Part  II.,  Chap.  135  relates  the 
following  incidents  connected  with  Armoy  and  St,  Olcan  : — 
"  The  holy  Patrick  having  returned  into  the  territory  of 
Dalaradia  (recte  Dal-rieda),  for  the  purpose  of  propagating 
and  stirring  up  the  faith,  brings  the  holy  Olcan  with  him  as 
a  companion.  When  he  appeared  before  the  twelve  sons  of 
Erc^  Fergus,  a  younger  son  of  Ere,  complains  that  he  had 
been  excluded  by  his  brothers  from  a  share  of  his  paternal 
inheritance,  and  humbly  asks  the  holy  Patrick,  that,  through 
the  intervention  of  his  prayers,  he  might  obtain  a  share  in 
the  inheritance.  But  after  the  holy  man  for  him  prayed, 
and  prayed  successfully,  he  devoutly  made  an  ofi^ering  to  God 
and  St.  Patrick  of  .he  best  part  of  his  patrimony,  viz.  :  th^ 
town  itself,  Airher-Muy  (Airther  Mugia),  along  with  the 
adjacent  tierritory.  The  man  of  God  accepts  the  gift  because 
it  was  de  ^outly  offered  to  God,  and  nevertheless,  lest  he 
might  appear  to  have  interceded  through  the  hope  of  an 


THE  PARISH  OF  ARMOY.  447 

earthly  reward,  he  directs  him  to  confer  the  oblation  on  the 
holy  Olcan,  which  he  does  with  great  pleasure.  The  holy 
Patrick,  when  blessing  the  forementioned  Fergus,  inspired 
with  a  prophetic  spirit  says  : 

"  Though  to-day  thou  he  despised  and  humble,  in  a  short 
time  tkou  shalt  rule  thy  hrothars,  and  thy  posterity  vnll  always 
obtain  among  the  posterity  of  thy  brothers  the  chieftaincy  and 
the  power  of  distributing."  This  prophecy  was  afterwards 
fulfilled  in  Aedan,  son  of  Gawran,  descended  from  his  seed, 
who,  by  force  of  arms,  seized  on  the  sovereignty  of  Alban, 
(Scotland)." 

Ussher  dates  the  foundation  of  the  church  of  Armoy  at 
the  year  474.  St.  Olcan  is  the  only  bishop  of  tha  see,  of 
whom  we  have  any  record.  It  seems  to  have  been  at  a  very 
early  date  absorbed  into  the  see  of  Connor,  perhaps  owing 
to  the  weakness  of  the  Irish  Dal-riadan  kingdom.  This 
event  is  the  subject  of  a  legend  in  the  Tripartite  Life  of  St. 
Patrick,  which  represents  the  saint  as  foretelling  the 
occurrence,  Olcan  had  offended  his  master  by  receiving  into 
communion  Saran,  a  prince  of  Dalaradia,  whom  Patrick  had 
excommunicated.  The  matter  had  been  reported  to  St. 
Patrick  (as  the  author  of  the  Tripartite  Life  suggests),  with 
some  exaggeration  ;  and  Olcan  made  every  haste  to  appease 
his  master's  wrath,  and  when  he  came  in  sight  of  the  chariot 
fell  on  his  knees  to  request  an  audience.  This  was  refused, 
and  St.  Olcan  then  cast  himself  prostrate  on  the  road.  The 
charioteer  stopped  his  horses,  but  was  commanded  by  St. 
Patrick  to  drive  on.  He  hesitated  to  do  so,  and  the  delay 
thus  occasioned  led  to  an  explanation  which  ended  in  a 
prophecy,  that  St.  Olcan's  church  should  be  three  times 
destroyed  and  polluted  with  blood  as  the  punishment  of  his 
fault. 


448  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

"  He  told  him  (Olcan)  that  his  establishment  on  earth  should  not  be 
high,  and  that  it  should  be  thrice  destroyed  ;  as  was  afterwards 
fulfilled,  for  it  was  ruined  by  Scandal,*  king  of  Dal-Araidhe,  and  by 
Cucuaran,+  and  by  fire  also,  by  Laechdich,4.  son  of  Bresal,  and  his 
land  shall  belong  to  the  young  boy  bearing  the  satchel,  said  Patrick, 
one  of  thy  own  people,  i.e.,  MacNisse§  of  Condere,  and  to  one  not 
born  yet,  i.e.,  Senan  of  Inis  Altic.||  Thy  merit  in  heaven  will  be 
illustrious.  Saran's  guilt  it  was  that  was  here  laid  upon  Bishop 
Olcan." — Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick  :  translated  by  Mr.  Hennessy. 

The  festival  of  St.  Olcan  was  observed  oa  tlie  20tli  of 
February.  Colgan,  iu  his  Acta  SS.,  has  given  a  life  of  him, 
compiled  from  various  sources.  The  church  of  Armoy  sunk 
into  the  position  of  a  parochial  church  of  which  the  bishop 
was  rector,  and  its  property  merged  into  the  see-lands  of 
Connor.  The  lands  are  commonly  called  the  sixteen  townlands 
of  Balleeny,  consisting  of  Aghruniaght,  Alcrossagb,  Balleny, 
Breen,  Carrowlaverty,*  Cleggan,  Cromaghs,  Doonans,  Essan. 

*Scanlan  of  the  Broad  Shield,  whose  son,  Congal  Claen,  king  of  Dalaradia,  was 
slain  at  the  battle  of  Magh  Rath,  a.d.  634. 

tCucuaran  was  also  king-  of  Dalaradia,  and  was  slain  A.  d.  70G. 

ILaechdich  is  intended  for  L'Aechaieh—"hy  Eochaidh,"  son  of  Breasal,  lord  of 
Dalaraidhe-an-tuasceirt  (North  Dalaradia),  who  was  slain  by  his  own  people  a.d. 
822.  All  these  injuries  inflicted  on  the  church  of  Armoj'  seem  to  have  been  attempts 
on  the  part  of  the  Ulidians  to  expel  the  Dal-riadans,  whom  they  regarded  as 
foreigners  placed  iu  their  territory  by  the  Heremonian  princes. 

§St.  MacNissus  of  Connor  was  one  of  the  pupils  of  St.  Olcan,  who  was  celebrated 
for  his  great  learning  which  he  acquired  in  Gaul. 

llSenan  of  Inis  Altic— "  Island  of  Birds,"— was  obviously  a  bishop  in  some  part  of 
the  diocese  of  Connor,  Colgan,  in  the  index  to  his  Tr.  Th.,  merely  says  that  the 
place  was  in  Ulster.  The  island  cliurch  ruled  by  Bishop  Senan  with  the  lands 
attached  to  it  must  have  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  bisliops  of  Connor 
Middle  Island  one  of  the  three  islands  in  Lough  Neagh  (see  Vol,  iii.  jip.  337-3-tl),  w.os 
probably  Inis  Altic,  or  it  may  have  been  Inis  Pollan,  the  lands  of  which  were  held 
luider  the  see  of  Connor,  and  the  graveyard  of  which  is  named  Killj'vallagh,  perhaps 
retaining  under  an  obscure  form  the  name  Altich. 

*Carrowlaverty — Ceathramhadh-Ui-Flaithbheartai(/h — O'Laverty's 
(juarterland,  so  named  from  some  former  occupant.  From  the  return 
of  the  Protestant  and  Papist  inhabitants  of  Armoy,  made  in  170(5  to 
the  House  of  Lords  by  the  Vicar,  it  appears  that  there  was  not  then 


THE  PARISH  OF  ARMOT.  449 

Gortmillish,  Kilcroagh,  Kaockans,  Monanclogh,  Sfcroan, 
Tullaghore^  Turnarobert,  (of  which  Mill  Five  Acres  was  a 
part).  The  glebe,  containing  the  church  and  round  tower, 
seems  to  have  been  part  of  Doonans. — Reeves's  Bed.  Antiq. 
The  Terrier  enters  these  lands  as  leased  to  Sir  Kandal ;  from 
the  Earls  of  Antrim  they  passed  (see  p.  72)  to  the  Smith 
family.  According  to  the  parliamentary  return  made  in 
1833  these  lands  described  as  "  the  four  townlands  of  Armoy, 
in  the  territory  of  the  Roote,"  containing  7,282  acres,  1  rood, 
16^  perches,  (the  actual  measurement  is  7,822  acres,  0  roods, 
17  perches),  were  held  of  the  see  by  the  heirs  of  R.  Smith 
by  a  21  years'  lease,  at  the  annual  rent  of  £87  4s.  7|d.,  with 
the  usual  implied  covenant  for  a  renewal  each  year,  and  the 
renewal  fine  was  £391  19s.  8d. 

In  the  taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  Ecclesia  de  Ethirmoy  is 
only  valued  at  .£4  lis.  8d.  The  Terrier  taxes  it  :  proxies, 
10/-,  Refections,  10/-,  Synodals,  2/-  The  Ulster  Visitation 
Book  of  1622  describes  it  as  "  Ecclesia  de  Armoy  unrepayred." 
The  site  is  occupied  by  the  present  Protestant  church  buik 
in  1829,  except  that  the  ancient  church  was  23|  feet 
longer  at  the  east  end.  The  ancient  church  was  73|  feet  in 
length  and  23  feet  in  breadth.  At  the  distance  of  28  feet 
from  the  north-west  angle  are  the  remains  of  a  round  tower, 
53  feet  high  and  47|  feet  in  circumference.  The  door,  the 
only  opening,  is  on  the  south  side,  and  is  1  foot  7  inches 
wide  and  5  feet  9  inches  high  ;  from  it  to  the  floor  was  8  feet 
6  inches,  but  on  the  outside  its  original  height  is  greatly 
diminished  by  the  accumulation  of  soil,  caused  by  interments 
during  so  many  ages.     The  walls  are  of  mica  slate  carefully 

in  the  parish  any  family  of  that  name,  but  in  the  adjoining  parishes 
there  were  19  families  in  Loughguile,  3  in  Ballintoy,  2  in  Ramoan, 
and  2  in  Culfeightrin. 

2  D 


450  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOE. 

prepared,  and  every  stone  chiselled  to  suit  the  curve.  The 
door  is  semicircular  headed,  having  the  arch  cut  out  of  one 
block  and  ornamented  with  an  architrave  also  cut  on  the  same 
lintel-stone,  it  follows  the  curve  of  the  arch,  and  the  same 
projection  seems  once  to  have  been  continued  down  the  sides 
of  the  door-way.  There  is  no  appearance  of  a  cross  or  other 
decoration.  The  view  in  the  Irish  Penny  Journal  shows  an 
ornament  over  the  door  which  does  not  exist.  The  wall  of 
the  tower  is  3  feet  5  inches  thick ;  the  interior  diameter  is 
8  feet  2  inches,  and  it  does  not  seem  to  vary  from  this  dimen- 
sion. At  the  door  there  is  a  projection  of  the  wall  for  the 
support  of  a  floor,  and  another  about  ten  feet  higher  up.  In 
1843  the  interior  of  this  round  tower  was  excavated  to  a 
depth  of  eleven  feet  from  the  sill  of  the  door ;  a  part  of  the 
original  roof  was  discovered,  it  was  formed  on  the  same  plan 
as  that  of  the  tower  of  Antrim.  An  attempt  was  made 
about  the  year  1805  to  pull  down  the  tower  and  use  the 
stone  for  building  the  rectory ;  but  it  was  resisted  by  the 
people.  The  Holy  Well  is  in  the  Welltown  meadows  in 
Alcrossagh.  According  to  local  stories  it  has  changed  its 
place  several  times,  closing  up  in  one  place  and  afterwards 
bursting  out  in  another,  Richard  Dobbs,  writing  in  1683, 
says  : 

"There  is  a  well  called  Armoy  \Yell  not  far  from  the  highway 
that  leads  from  Clogh  to  Ballycastle,  much  frequented  by  Scotch  and 
Irish  on  midsummer-eve.  The  water  flows  out  in  such  abundance 
that,  till  you  come  to  the  well,  you  would  take  it  for  an  ordinary 
river." 

Armoy  only  occurs  twice  in  the  Four  Alasters  where  it  is 
written  Airthear  Mhaighe — "  the  eastern  plain  " — so  named 
because  it  is  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Bush — once  at  a.d. 
1177  where  it  is  related  that  Cumee  O'Flynn  burned  it  on 


THE  PAEISH  OF  ARMOY.  451 

the  approach  of  Jotn  de  Courcy,  and  again,  at  a.d.  1247, 
where  it  is  mentioned,  casually,  in  connection  with  a  preda- 
tory excursion,  made  by  Eachmaroach  O'Kane,  into  the 
territory  of  Manus  O'Kane.  Colgan  describes  the  condition 
to  which  Armoy  was  reduced  in  his  time,  saying — "  It  is 
to-day  only  a  little  village  in  the  Route,  about  eight  miles 
from  Dunluce." 

On  the  fort  of  Alcrossagh  is  a  Standing  Stone,  4  feet  high, 
1  foot  3  inches  broad,  and  3  inches  thick,  called  Clough 
Berragh*  The  fort,  now  nearly  destroyed,  is  an  irregular 
circle,  40  feet  in  diameter  ;  there  was  a  cave  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  fields,  but  it  is  now  choked  up  and  destroyed. 
The  Ordnance  Map  enters,  in  this  townland,  the  site  of  an 
ancient  and  disused  graveyard  ;  it  is  in  the  farm  of  Daniel 
M'Cambridge  and  in  the  same  farm  is  a  well  once  considered 
a  Holy  Well.  Urns  and  indications  of  a  pagan  cemetery 
were  found  in  the  outer  part  of  the  graveyard.  Near  its 
centre  were  the  foundations  of  a  quadrangular  building, 
probably  the  church.  A  portion  of  a  cross  still  remains  ; 
the  cross,  then  complete,  was  removed  many  years  ago  by  a 
person  who  was  building  a  house  in  Carrowlaverty.  He 
inserted  the  cross  in  the  new  house  that  it  might  bring  "  good 
luck ;  "  it  seems,  however,  to  have  brought  the  contrary — 
the  house  fell,  and  the  terrified  builder  brought  back  the 
cross  broken  in  the  fall.  Some  perches  south  of  the  grave- 
yard is  the  site  of  a  fort,  perhaps  a  funereal  mound,  such  as 
is  generally  found  near  our  early  churches. 
CHUECHES. 

In  days  of  persecution  Mass  was  celebi-ated  near  the  town 
of  Armoy,  under  the  shade  of  a  yew  tree,  and  so  highly  was 
*  Beiragh,    a  renowned  witch,   gives  name  to   many  objects  of 
popular  dread  in  Ulster  and  Scotland. 


452  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

the  place  afterwards  venerated,  that  the  farmer,  when  selling 
the  farm,  bargained  with  the  purchaser,  one  M'Cahan,  not 
to  remove  the  tree.  M'Cahan,  however,  opened  a  gravel  pit 
on  the  site,  and  rooted  out  the  old  yew  tree.  When  misfor- 
tunes befell  him,  his  neighbours  attributed  them  to  his 
impiety  in  destroying  the  tree  that  was  hallowed  by  so  many 
traditions  of  the  past.  He  sold  the  farm  to  another  farmer, 
named  M'Afee,  and  it  at  present  belongs  to  Daniel  Clarke. 
Mass  was,  at  a  later  period,  celebrated  in  a  sheltered  place 
along  the  river  of  Altnamuck,  in  Tureagh ;  the  site  is  in  the 
farm  of  Archibald  O'Harrigan.  About  the  year  1775  the 
tenant  of  the  mill,  in  the  townland  of  Doonans,  permitted  the 
Catholics  to  assemble  for  mass  in  his  mill ;  and  old  men,  not 
long  dead,  used  to  tell  how,  when  they  were  children,  they 
sported  among  the  meal-bags  on  Sunday  mornings,  before 
the  priest  would  come  to  celebrate  maps.  The  church  was 
erected  about  1807  by  Father  Murray.  It  must,  at  first, 
have  been  very  small,  for  it  is  said  that  it  was  enlarged  at 
three  different  times. 

The  Parochial  House  was  erected  in  1881  by  Father 
M'Cann. 

PARISH    PRIESTS. 

In  the  list  of  priests  registered  in  1704  Patrick  M'Garry 
is  entered  as  parish  priest  of  Armoy,  Ramoan,  and  Ballintoy  ; 
he  was  36  years  of  age  ;  resided  at  Armoy  ;  he  had  received 
orders  in  1694  at  Kilkenny  from  James  Phelan,  Bishop  of 
Ossory ;  his  sureties  were  Robert  NichoU  of  Ahoghill, 
Gentleman,  and  Alexander  M'Manus  of  Ballybeg,  Gentleman, 
who  each  bailed  him  in  £50.  At  that  period  the  parish 
consisted  of  the  civil  parishes  of  Armoy,  Rathlin,  (separated 
from  it  about  1778)  Ramoan,  (separated  from  it  in  1825) 
and  Ballintoy,  (separated  from  it  in  1873).      We  have  no 


THE  PARISH  OP  ARMOY.  453 

record  to  sbow  how  long  Father  M'Garry  ruled  the  parish, 
or  who  was  his  immediate  successoi'. 

The  succeeding  parish  priest  seems  to  have  been  Father 
Patrick  Neeson,  (in  some  accounts  he  is  called  John). 
About  the  year  1764  he  exchanged,  with  the  Rev.  John 
M'Cormick,  the  parish  for  Drummaul  where  he  died  in  the 
townland  of  Ballygrooby  aboub  the  year  1780,  and  was 
interred  in  Cranfield.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  native  of 
the  parish  of  Drummaul,  and  as  he  was  an  old  man  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  it  is  probable  that  he  was  the  immediate 
successor  of  Father  M'Garry. 

The  Rev.  John  M'Cormick  succeeded,  some  time  between 
the  years  1760  and  1765,  by  exchange  with  Father  Neeson. 
The  report  sent  to  the  House  of  Lords,  in  1766,  by  the  vicar, 
(which  is  now  preserved  in  the  Record  Office,  Dublin) 
certifies  that  there  were  then  in  the  parish  309  families,  of 
whom  87  were  of  the  Established  Church,  98  were  Dissen- 
ters, and  the  "Popish^'  families  were  124.  The  report 
returns  "  Charles  Nocher,  (now  Connor)  sen.,  of  Belamy, 
Archibald  M'Auley  of  Armoy,  and  Angus  M'Afee  of  Park, 
as  Papists,  but  their  wives  and  children  go  to  church  ;  "  and 
adds : — * 

"Mr.  John  M'Cormick  the  priest  of  the  parish,  a  good  kind  of 
man,  has  the  parish  of  Armoy,  Ramoan,  and  Raghlin,  and  lives  in 
Armoy  parish. " 

Certified  by  me,  Uth  March,  1766. 

Tnos  Vesey,  Vic. 

For  an  account  of  Father  M'Cormick  see  p.  389.  During 
his  incumbency  Father  M'Cormick  resided  in  Gortmillish, 

*The  vicar  reports,  that  there  were  then  in  the  parish  185  Protest- 
ant famihes,  and  124  Papist  families.  The  census  report  of  1881 
states,  that  there  were  then  in  the  parish  917  Catholics,  aud  767 
persons  belonging  to  the  various  Protestant  denominations. 


454  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

He  resigned  the  parish  about  1780  and  was  succeeded  by 
the  Rev.  Matthew  M'Larnon. 

Father  M'Larnon  was  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Duneane ; 
lie  seems  to  ha.ve  studied  in  Spain;  he  continued  parish 
priest  only  a  few  years^  and  afterwards  was  from  time  to  time 
employed  in  various  parishes  on  temporary  duty.  While 
parish  priest  of  Aimoy  he  resided  near  the  site  of  the  present 
parochial  house.  He  died  in  1815  in  Duneane,  and  was 
interred  in  Cranfield. 

After  Father  M'Larnon  resigned  Armoy  it  was  adminis- 
tered by  several  clergymen  ;  the  Rev.  John  Scullion  officiated 
in  it  about  1787,  and  the  Rev.  Peter  M'Mullan  in  1789. 
These  administrators  were  under  the  superintendence  of  the 
Very  Rev.  Arthur  Brenan,  Vicar  General,  and  Parish  Priest 
of  Rasharkin,  and  of  the  Rev.  Toal,  or  TuUy  M'Nally,  P.P. 
Loughguile. 

The  Rev.  Roger  Murray  was  appointed  in  1791 ;  he  was 
a  native  of  Carlane  in  the  parish  of  Duneane.  He  erected 
the  church  of  Bally  castle  in  1795.  While  he  was  parish 
priest  he  resided  in  Tureagh.  He  was  appointed  to 
Duneane  in  March  1812,  and  was  succeeded  in  Armoy  by 
Father  O'Neill. 

The  Rev.  Patrick  O'Neill  was  a  native  of  Gortmacrane,  in 
the  parish  of  Tamlaghtocrilly,  Co.  Derry,  but  was  ordained 
for  Down  and  Connor  by  Dr.  Patrick  MacMullan,  in  Down- 
patrick,  on  the  6th  of  July,  1803.  He  officiated  as  curate 
in  several  parishes  ;  from  the  curacy  of  Drummaul  he  was 
appointed  on  the  10th  of  October,  1810  to  the  curacy  of 
Ballymoney,  then  a  part  of  the  parish  of  Rasharkin,  which 
he  held  until  he  was  appointed  parish  priest  of  Armoy,  in 
March,  1812  ;  and  in  1816  he  erected  the  church  of  Ballinlea. 
He  accepted  of  the  curacy  of  Drummaul  in  1819,  and  was 


THE  PARISH  OF  ARMOY.  455 

succeeded  in  Armoy  by  the  curate  of   Drummaul,  Father 
Bernard  M'Cann. 

Father  M'Cann  was  a  native  of  Ballynaleney  in  the  civil 
parish  of  Drummaul ;  entered  the  Class  of  Humanity  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth  on  the  31st  of  August,  1809  ;  was 
ordained  on  the  8th  of  June,  1816  ;  succeeded  in  the  curacy 
of  Drummaul  Father  Constantine  O'Boyle,  who  died  early 
in  1817.  He  was  a  great  favourite  with  the  people,  who 
wished  to  retain  him  as  their  parish  priest  when  Father 
Peter  O'Boyle  died.  They  sent  a  deputation  to  the  bishop 
to  solicit  his  appointment,  but  Dr.  M 'Mullen  refused,  and 
appointed  the  Bev.  Bernard  M'AuIey,  C.C,  Belfast ;  the 
]jeople  theron  closed  the  doors  of  the  church  against  Father 
M'Auley,  but  after  some  time  they  submitted  to  their  new 
pastor.  In  the  meantime  Father  O'Neill  became  assistant 
to  Father  M'Auley  in  Drummaul,  and  Father  MfCann  was 
appointed  parish  priest  of  Armoy.  He  surrendered  to  Dr. 
Crolly,  in  1825,  the  civil  parish  of  Eamoan,  which  was  consti- 
tuted into  a  separate  parish.  Father  M'Cann  was  appointed 
parish  priest  of  Cushendall  in  1828,  and  was  succeeded  in 
Armoy  by  Father  Killen. 

The  Rev.  William  Killen  was  born  in  1792  in  Clontagh- 
naglar,  parish  of  Kilmore  ;  was  ordained  by  Dr.  M'Mullan^ 
Pentecost,  1815,  in  Downpatrick,  and  in  1817  he  entered  the 
College  of  Prepuce,  whence,  after  completing  philosophical  and 
theological  studies,  he  returned  in  1822  and  was  appointed 
curate  under  Father  Daniel  M'Donnell,  P.P.,  Cushendall ; 
after  his  death  which  occurred  June  7th,  1828,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Pai-ish  Priest  of  Armoy.  While  he  was  Parish  Priest 
he  resided  in  Monanclogh.  Father  Killen  was  appointed 
Parish  Priest  of  the  Lower  Ards  on  the  9th  of  February, 
1843,  and  was  succeeded  in  Armoy  by  Father  O'Heggarty. 


456  DIOCESE  or  connor. 

The  Rev.  John  O'Heggarty  was  appointed  on  the  25th  of 
March,  1843  (for  some  account  of  him  see  p.  140).  He  was 
appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Bally  money  in  September,  1847, 
and  succeeded  in  Armoy  by  Father  M'Greevy. 

The  Rev,  Edward  M'Greevy  was  born  A.D.  1816,  in 
Slievegran,  parish  of  Saul ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ; 
entered  the  Rhetoric  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth, 
January  1st,  1835;  was  ordained  in  Maynooth  by  Dr.  Healy, 
Bishop  of  Kildare,  February  3rd,  1839 ;  was  Curate  in 
Drummaul  and  in  Rasharkin  (see  p.  85)  ;  was  appointed 
Parish  Priest  of  Armoy  in  September,  1847.  He  left 
Armoy  in  1849,  and  went  on  the  English  Mission  where  he 
obtained  the  pastoral  charge  of  Buxton  and  erected  the  church 
of  that  Mission  He  died  there,  May  23rd,  1864.  The 
tablet  erected  to  his  memory  in  the  church  of  Buxton  bears, 
however,  the  following  inscription  : — 

Of  your  charity 
pray   for    the    soul 
of  the 
Rev,  Edward  M^Gveevy, 
who  died  June  22nd,  1863. 
RJ.P.^' 
The  Rev.  John  Dunn  was  appointed,  in  1849,  Adminis- 
trator of  Armoy  and  afterwards  became  its  Parish  Priest  (for 
an  account  of  him  see  p.  394).     He   was  appointed  to  the 
parish  of  Rathlin  in  October,  1866,  and  was  succeeded   in 
Armoy  by  the  Rev.  Michael  M'Cartan,  P.P.,  Rathlin. 

•Father  Hocben  of  BuxtoD,  in  a  letter  dated  August  22nd,  J  836, 
says  :  "  When  I  have  finished  building  the  schools,  I  purpose  to  build 
a  chancel  to  the  present  church,  and  to  erect  an  altar  in  memory  of 
the  founder  of  this  church."  The  date  of  Father  M'Greevy's  death 
on  the  tablet  differs  from  that  in  my  notes. 


THE  PARISH  OF  ARMOY.  457 

The  Rev.  Michael  M'Cartan  was  appointed  in  October, 
1866  (for  an  account  of  Elm  see  p.  393),  and  on  the  4th  of 
December,  1866,  exchanged  with  his  brother,  Father  Patrick 
M'Cartan,  who  had  been  at  the  same  time  appointed  to 
Ahoghill.  Father  Patrick  M'Cartan  (at  present  P.P.  Saul) 
retained  the  parish  until  April,  1872,  when,  on  his  resigna- 
tion, the  districts  attached  to  the  church  of  Ballinlea  were 
severed  from  the  parish  and  erected  into  the  parish  of 
Ballintoy  of  which  Father  M'Gorrian  was  appointed  Parish 
Priest.  Father  Magorrian  was  at  the  same  time  appointed 
Administrator  of  Armoy. 

Father  Carrol  was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Armoy  in 
July,  1873  (for  an  account  of  him  see  p.  252).  On  the  5th 
of  April,  1877,  he  was  appointed  to  the  parish  of  Coleraine 
and  was  succeeded  in  Armoy  by  Father  John  M'Cann. 

The  Rev.  John  M'Cann  was  born  in  Ballynaleney,  parish 
of  Duneane,  on  the  12th  of  May,  1842  ;  studied  in  the  Dio- 
cesan College ;  entered  the  College  of  the  Noble  Irish, 
Salamanca,  September  11th,  1862  ;  was  ordained  by  the 
Bishop  of  Salamanca,  September  21st,  1866;  officiated  as 
Curate  in  the  parishes  of  Cushendall,  Aghagallon,  Kilmore 
or  Crossgar,  and  Culfeightrin ;  was  appointed  Parish  Priest 
of  Armoy,  April  5th,  1877. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CQLFEIGHTRIN. 


THE  parisli  of  Culfeightrin,  except  in  the  places  (see  pp. 
397  and  448)  altered  by  tlie  diversion  of  the  course  of 
the  Margy,  corresponds  with  the  part  of  the  civil  parish,  that 
is  west  of  a  line  following  the  eastern  boundary  of  Ballyven- 
naght  to  the  summit  of  Carnan-more,  thence  due  north  through 
small  portions  of  East  Torr  and  West  Torr  to  the  sea. 

In  the  townland  of  Greenan,  on  an  eminence  near  the 
Shesk  river,  and  nearly  opposite  to  Glenbank  House,  is  an 
ancient  graveyard  named  Kil-Moyangee.  A  large  portion  of 
the  graveyard  is  covered  with  a  solid  bank  of  turf,  six  feet 
hic^h.  The  graves  are  stone-lined  and  the  graveyard  extended 
over  about  four  acres  of  ground.  Eude  headstones,  varying 
from  1  to  6 1  feet  in  height,  and  the  remains  of  a  stone  fence 
were  found  in  the  subsoil  beneath  the  turf  bank.  A  little 
to  the  west  of  the  bog  is  a  small  sand  hill,  which  seems  to 
have  been  artificially  raised.  In  this  were  foimd  several 
little  vaults  made  of  smooth  flat  stones  apparently  carried 
from  the  Shesk.  In  some  of  these  vaults  were  found  decayed 
human  bones  and  in  others  ornamented  urns  containing  small 
))ieces  of  bones.  "  One  of  these  vaults,  as  yet  undisturbed 
(1838),  measures  3  feet  8  inches  long,  2  feet  deep,  and  1  foot 
10  inches  wide.  The  flat  stone  by  which  it  was  covered  was 
5 1  feet  long,  3^  feet  broad  and  6  inches  thick.  This  vault 
contained  both  urns  and  bones.  Over  it  was  a  pavement  of 
stones.     In  each  of  the  vaults  was  a  reddish,  light   sort  of 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULPEIGHTRIN.  459 

sand,  supposed  to  have  been  placed  in  them  for  the  purpose 
of  preserving  ^the  remains."*  One  ot  these  urns  is  2^  inches 
in  height  between  the  bottom  and  a  raised  hoop  on  its  out- 
side, and  5  inches  in  diameter  at  the  hoop;  it  is  nearly 
i  inch  thick  and  quite  hard  ;  it  is  of  a  yellow  colour.  When 
found  it  contained  calcined  bones  and  ashes.  One  of  these 
urns  is  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Cuppage,  of  Glenbank, 
and  another  in  that  of  Mr.  Kirkpafcrick,  of  Ballycastle. 
Kilmoyangee  is  in  the  farm  of  Edward  O'Connor,  in  a 
portion  of  the  townland  of  Greenan  called  Loughangorm — 
"  the  blue  lakelet."— iSee  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

The  ancient  graveyard,  Killyluke,  is  in  the  farm  of  Patrick 
M'Bride  in  the  townland  of  Duncarbitj  it  is  12  yards  by 
10  yards,  but  was  formerly  much  larger.  No  traces  of  a 
church  remain  and  the  ground  is  overgrown  with  black- 
thorn bushes.  Immediately  adjoining  the  remains  of  the 
graveyard  on  the  north  side  are  several  ramifications  of  an 

*Mr.  Hill,  in  the  Ulster  Journal  of  Archceology,  Vol.  viii.,  writing 
of  these  discoveries  in  Greenan  says — "  A  stone  pillar  also  remains. 
Previously  to  the  cutting  away  of  the  bog  the  point  of  this  stone  just 
appeared,  but  it  now  stands  more  than  eight  feet  clear  of  the  surface 
and  is  known  in  the  locality  as  C lough- Virrha.  Farther  up  the 
stream,  but  only  distant  a  few  perches  from  the  sepulchral  mound, 
are  extensive  remains  of  an  erection  which  consisted  of  a  vast  circle 
of  stones,  having  a  cromleach  in  the  centre."  In  the  adjoining  town- 
land  of  Duncarbit,  a  farmer,  in  1859,  after  removing  about  twenty 
loads  of  rich  black  earth  came  to  a  neatly  constructed  pavement,  in 
the  centre  of  which  was  a  large  slab  of  sandstone,  and  on  it  was  an 
urn  about  one  foot  deep  and  eighteen  inches  in  circumference.  The 
urn  contained  portions  of  charred  bones  and  was  inverted  on  the  slab. 
The  spot  was  named  Tarn,  perhaps  originally  Tam-leacht.  Mr.  Hill 
also  mentions  that  a  clasp  of  gold  was,  in  1858,  found  by  Alexander 
Simpson  in  Drumeeny,  for  which  he  got  £7  from  a  Jeweller,  and 
that  a  labourer,  about  the  same  time,  found  at  Glenbank  an  ornament 
of  gold  which  Kichard  Davidson,  Esq.,  M.P.  sold  for  him  in  London. 


460  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

artificial  cave  of  tlie  usual  construction,  in  one  of  which  were 
found  four  oval  stones,  each  weighing  from  7  to  10  pounds, 
which  had  probably  been  used  for  seats.  On  the  summit  of  a 
rocky  eminence,  in  the  farm  of  Conn  M'Dougle,  stands  a 
small  oval  fort,  measuring  on  the  top  7  by  5  yards,  which 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  surrounded  by  a  foss  or  a  parapet, 
Duncarbit  is  named  from  a  large  and  well-fortified  fort,  which 
rose  over  the  Shesk,  in  Archibald  M'Alister's  farm.  Under 
it  was  an  extensive  artificial  eave  which  is  now  disfigured 
and  the  fort  itself  subjected  to  tillage.  To  the  south  of  the 
fort  stood  Duncarbit  Castle,  in  the  farm  of  John  M'Cahan, 
said  by  tradition  to  have  been  built  by  MacEoin  (Bisset) 
and  to  have  been  afterwards  occupied  by  M'Alister,  whose 
four  brothers  possessed  the  castles  of  Breen,  Brackney,  Kin- 
ban,  and  Dunnaneeny.  Local  stories  also  relate  that 
M'Alister  had,  in  the  Shesk,  an  apparatus  for  catching  salmon 
and  connected  with  it  a  bell  which  announced  the  event  in 
the  kitchen  of  the  castle.  Archibald  M'Alister  found,  in 
1834,  in  his  farm  in  Drumacullin,  at  about  2|  feet  under  the 
surface^  a  grave,  8  feet  long,  3  feet  wide,  and  1^  feet  deep, 
611ed  with  rich  black  earth  ;  it  was  enclosed  with  flat  stones 
and  covered  with  a  large  stone  of  the  same  description.  The 
site  of  this  grave  was  always  called  Oya-vic-na-mna-more — 
"  the  grave  of  the  son  of  the  big  woman."  In  another  part 
of  the  same  farm  he  found,  within  the  area  of  a  fort,  a  circular 
vault  about  2|  feet  in  depth  and  the  same  in  diameter  filled 
with  cinders,  portions  of  wood,  and  ashes  ;  it  was  covered 
with  thin  stones.  There  was  formerly  at  that  place  a  cave 
which  has  been  destroyed ;  in  it  were  found  the  skull  of  a 
deer  and  part  of  a  steel  sword. — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

In  the  farm  of  John  Delargy,  in  Craigban,  is  the  site  of 
an    ancient    graveyard    which    has   now   been   completely 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  461 

obliterated  ;  it  contained  some  stone-lined  graves.  In  the 
farm  of  George  Brown,  in  Broughmore,  was  another  ancient 
graveyard  called  Killyasturrick,  which  contained  about  a 
rood  of  ground.  It  was  destroyed  about  the  year  1798. 
There  is  an  extensive  cave  in  the  farm  of  Patrick  Brown 
in  which  several  hearths  with  cinders  were  found,  and  its 
roof  was  black  with  smoke.  In  the  farm  of  Alexander 
Thompson,  in  the  townland  of  Eglish,  were  iound,  in  1806, 
many  stone-lined  graves  containing  decayed  bones,  and  on 
the  same  site  were  several  Standing  Stones,  perhaps  head- 
stones, the  name  of  the  townland,  indicates  that  there  was  a 
church  in  it,  but  it  is  stated  that  urns  were  found  in  some 
of  the  stone-lined  graves.  It  must,  however,  be  remembered 
that  in  many  instances  Christian  cemeteries  replaced  those 
used  by  pagans.  There  was  a  cairn  on  Eglish  mountain  in 
the  farm  of  Thomas  M 'Bride,  which  was  called  Cairnanhan. 
It  appears  to  have  been  about  30  yards  in  diameter,  its 
stones  have  been  removed  for  various  erections,  and  under 
its  site  was  an  enclosure,  36  by  22  feet,  bounded  by  large 
stones  sunk  on  their  ends  and  rising  from  1|  feet  to  2|  feet 
above  the  surface.  The  interior  was  filled  with  little 
enclosures  like  chests  formed  of  large  stones ;  all  of  these 
have  been  removed  except  one  in  the  centre,  which  is  2  feet 
10  inches  long  and  of  the  same  breadth,  enclosed  by  four  flat 
stones  sunk  on  their  ends  and  rising  from  11  feet  to  2  feet 
8  inches  high.  At  the  distance  of  15  yards  north-west  of  it 
was  another  similar  enclosure,  12  feet  long  and  5  feet  broad. 
On  the  same  mountain  is  a  Standing  Stone  3  feet  high,  2  i 
feet  broad  and  2  feet  thick,  "  Informants,  Thomas  M'Bride, 
Robert  M'Cormick  and  others," — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

Patrick  M'Cambridge  in  the  year  1820  found  in  his  farm, 
in    Losset,    two    stone-lined    graves    containing    skeletons 


462  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

and   a   smaller   stone-lined   vault  containing   a   beautifully 
ornamented  urn  filled  with  ashes  and  calcined  bones.    There 
is  a  cave  in  Neal  M'Curdy's  farm.     In  this  townland   was 
formerly  a    castle,  the  ruins  of  which  were  removed  some 
years  before  1838.     Daniel  Lamon  found  a  gold  torque,  in 
1808,  which  was  exposed  after  great  rains  in  the  banks  of  a 
stream  near  the  Shesk.     The   late   Edmund  M'Gildowney 
sold  it  for  him  to  a  museum  in   Dublin  for  £80.     A  small 
graveyard  was   found  in  a  little  hill   in   the  farm  of  Pat 
Millar,  in  the  townland  of  Brackney.      Some  of  the  graves 
were  stone-lined  and  there  was  in  it  the  foundations  of  a 
stone  and  lime  building ;  among  them  was  found  a  slab  of 
freestone  on  which  was  raised  a  beautiful  cross.    The  slab  of 
freestone,  ornamented  with  the  cross,  is  now  (1838)  raised 
on  the  gable  of  Pat  Millar's  barn.     The  cross  is   12  inches 
long  and  8  inches  across  the  shoulders.      In  this  townland, 
about  60  yards  east  of  the  Shesk,  and  in  the  farm  of  Daniel 
M'Cahan,  is  the  site  of  a  castle  locally  called  Castle  Culbert, 
said  to  have  been  erected  by  Culbert  or  Cuthbert  MacEoin.* 
The  foundations  of  it  were  removed  in  1832.      From  this 
castle  an  ancient  paved  road  extended  to  Culfeightrin  Church, 
distant  about  half-a-mile  to  the  east ;  portions  of  this  road 
are  frequently  raised  by  the  farmers  when  labouring  their 
fields.     About  60  yards  south  east  of  the  site  of  the  castle 
is  an  earthen  fort  40  yards  in  diameter  and  from  10  to  20 
feet  high,  which  is  now  occupied  as  a  stack  yard  and  much 
disfigured. — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

*The  Bissets,  or  MacEoins,  came  from  the  south  of  Scotland  where 
St.  Cuthbert  was  so  much  venerated,  hence  they  named  their  children 
after  him  ;  and  it  was  probably  through  their  influence  that  the 
church  of  Dunluce  (p.  274)  was  dedicated  under  the  invocation  of 
that  saint. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  463 

The  ruins  of  Culfeightrin  Church  stand  on  a  gently  rising 
ground  in  the  townland  of  Churchfield,  which  is  only  a 
translation  of  Magheratemple,  its  older  Irish  name.  The 
remains  consist  of  the  east  gable,  the  east  end  of  the  north 
sidewall,  and  a  small  piece  of  the  south  sidewall.  The  east 
gable,  which  is  erected  on  a  flat  discharging  arch,  23|  feet 
wide,  rises  about  28  feet  above  the  surface  and  contains  a 
very  beautiful  window  about  15  feet  high  and  5  feet  2  inches 
wide  in  the  inside.  In  the  north  side- wall  at  the  distance 
of  7  feet  3  inches  from  the  gable  is  a  window  4  feet  10  inches 
wide  in  the  inside  and  about  10  feet  high.  There  are  the 
remains  of  a  corresponding  window  in  the  south  side-wall. 
In  the  gable  on  each  side  of  the  altar  was  a  recess ;  that  on 
the  Epistle  side  was  the  Piscina  and  that  on  the  Gospel  side 
was  the  Aumbry.  The  east  window,  the  carved  fillets  extend- 
ing along  the  gable  in  both  sides  from  the  spring  of  the 
window  arch,  and  the  flat  pilasters,  present  such  a  striking 
similarity  to  similar  details  in  the  monastic  church  of  Buna- 
margy  as  to  suggest  that  both  churches  belong  to  the  same 
period — between  the  years  1450  and  1500 — and  perhaps  are 
works  of  the  same  architect.  The  church  measured  in  the 
interior  100  feet  in  length  and  21 1  feet  in  breadth  ;  the  walls 
were  3|  feet  thick.  The  graveyard  is  now  defaced  and  under 
tillage.  The  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrieh,  in  relating  his 
visit  to  Dalrieda,  mentions  that  he  erected  in  Cathrigia 
(Gary)  "  The  church  of  Druim  Indich  (Dumeeny),  over  which 
he  placed  St.  Enan ;  and  Cuil  Eclitrann  (Cufeightrin)  over 
which  he  placed  Bishop  Fiachrius."  Golgans  states  that  the 
festival  of  St.  Fiachrius,  Bishop  of  this  place,  was  held  on  the 
28th  of  September.— Trias.  Th.  p.  182.  The  festival  of  St. 
Fiachrach,  Bishop,  is  noted  for  that  day  in  the  martyrologies 
of  Tallagh  and  Donegal.     We  have  no  record  of  any  successor 


464  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

of  St.  Fiaclirach  in  the  see  of  Cuil-Echtrann,  nor  did  the 
lands  belonging  to  it  pass  into  the  possession  of  the  Bishops 
of  Connor,  unless  we  suppose  that  the  Grange  of  Inispollan 
belonged  to  the  see  of  Cuil-Echtrann.  The  church  Kilfeutre 
(Culfeightrin)  was  valued  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas 
at  £9  4s  8d.  In  1524  Bernard  O'lSTeyle,  a  clerk  of 
Connor  diocese,  was  presented  by  the  Primate  to  the  rectory 
of  the  parish  church  of  St  Fectany  in  the  Diocese  of  Connor, 
vacant  by  the  promotion  of  Magonius  Ocoyne — Reg.  Cromer 
p.  453,  cited  in  Reeves^ s  Eccl.  Antiq.  The  Terrier  enters — 
"  Ecclesia  de  Culfethrin  hath  20  acres  glebe  ;  pays — Proxes, 
20s;  Eefections,  20s;  Synodals,  2s.  The  Ulster  Visitation 
Book  reports — "  Ecclesia  de  Coolfeightrim  decayed."  ■  It  is 
said  that  a  stone  cross  was  found  at  the  ruins  about  1790, 
and  that  Daniel  M'Cormick  found  in  them,  about  the  year 
1760,  a  metalic  pot  containing  altar  vessels  of  gold  and 
silver. — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

In  the  farm  of  William  Simpson,  in  Drumahitt,  was  dis- 
covered, in  1817,  a  pavement  closely  laid  with  well  shaped 
stones;  it  was  6  yards  long  and  3  yards  broad,  near  it  was 
discovered  a  cave  which  is  now  closed ;  the  pavement  was  on 
a  gentle  declivity  near  the  Shesk.  A  little  north  of  it,  in  the 
farm  of  James  Sharp,  is  a  hill,  also  rising  from  the  Shesk, 
having  "  the  remains  of  some  ancient  platforms,"  in  which, 
about  the  year  1800,  three  articles  of  gold  were  found. 
"  One  of  them  was  shaped  like  the  knocker  of  a  hall-door  " — a 
golden  fibula ;  the  finder  sold  some  of  them  in  Belfast  and 
some  in  Liverpool.  These  were  supposed  by  the  people  to 
have  been  some  of  the  ornaments  of  the  kings  or  nobles  who 
attended  "  the  long  parliament  of  Drumahitt  which  lasted 
during  thirteen  months,  and  to  which  St,  Columbkille  came 
from  Scotland."     Thomas  Fegan,  when  preparing  the  Ord. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  465 

Survey  Report  in  1838,  found  among  the  people  legendary 
stories  regarding  "  the  Parliament  of  Drumahitt  "  precisely 
similar  to  those  told  by  Keating  and  others  regarding  the 
Convention  held  at  Drum-Ceat.  It  may  be  that  the  similarity 
which  Drumahitt  bears  to  Drum-ceat  has  localised  on  the 
banks  of  the  Shesk  legends  relating  to  the  convention  that  is 
generally  supposed  to  have  been  assembled  on  the  banks  of  the 
Roe.  Formerly  that  similarity  amounted  to  identity ; 
Mr.  Fegan  found  the  old  people,  in  1838,  pronouncing  the 
name  of  the  townland  Drumacuith  and  the  Down  Survey 
enters  it  Drumchet,  Were  it  not  for  the  authority  of  the 
venerable  names  of  the  writers  referred  to  in  the  note,  who 
fix  the  site  of  the  Convention  in  the  vicinity  of  Limavady, 
the  claims  of  Drumahitt  to  the  honour  would  be  very  strong.* 

*  The  great  Convenfion  was  assembled  by  Aedh,  monarch  of  Ire- 
land, in  the  year  590.  There  were  present  at  it  the  monarch,  the 
nobles  and  principal  clergy  of  Ireland,  and  Aidan,  son  of  Gawran, 
king  of  the  Scottish  Dalriada,  accompanied  by  St.  Columbkille  and 
the  most  distinguished  of  the  Scottish  clergy.  The  three  questions 
to  be  debated  were  : — 

1st. — Regarding  the  constitutional  rights  of  the  Scottish  Dalriada. 
O'Donnell  states  that  Aidan  laid  claim  to  the  sovereignty  of  the  Irish 
Dalriada  and  required  that  it  should  be  exempt  from  the  rule  of  the 
Irish  monarch,  but  Keating  and  O'Flaherty  on  the  contrary  say  that 
the  Irish  monarch  pretended  a  right  to  tribute  from  the  Scottish 
Dalriada. — It  was  agreed  that  the  Scottish  Dalriada  should  be  inde- 
pendendent  but  that  the  Irish  Dalriada  should  continue  under  the 
dominion  of  the  monarch  of  Ireland. 

2nd.  — -The  suppression  or  reform  of  the  bards.  — It  was  agreed  that 
their  numbers  and  privileges  should  be  reduced,  that  the  monarch  and 
every  chief  of  a  territory  should  retain  an  ollamh  to  whom  should  be 
granted  inviolability  of  person  and  a  tract  of  land  free  of  all  rents. 

3rd.— The  captivity  of  Scanlan  Mor,  a  prince  of  Ossory.— He  was 
restored  to  his  territory. 

Manus  O'Donnell,  in  or  about  1532,  compiled  a  life  of  St.  Columb- 
kille in  Irish  which  Colgan  to  a  great  extent  translated  into  Latin. 
This  Life,  which  is  replete  with  bardic  legends,  is  the  earliest  authority 

2e 


466  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

The  Convention  assembled  principally  for  the  purpose  of 
determining  the  rights  of  the  Dalriadan  colony  in  Scotland, 
and  Drumahitt  was  in  the  parent  Dalriada  and  within  a 
mile  of  the  ordinary  port  of  communication  between  the 
colony  and  the  parent  country.  It  is  well  known  that 
legends,  such  as  those  told  by  O'Donnell  and  Keating  regard- 
ing the  Convention,  are  frequently  myths  invented  by  bardic 
story-tellers  to  account  for  ancient  names  of  places  when 
their  true  origin  cannot  be  explained.  Between  Port  Brittas — 
the  harbour  of  Ballycastle — and  Drumahitt  there  are  places 
the  names  of  which  correspond  in  a  very  remarkable  manner 

for  fixing  Drum-ceat  in  the  vicinity  of  Limavady.  The  following  is 
from  Colgan's  Latin  version  : — 

"  Columba,  after  sailing  across  the  aforementioned  inlet  of  the  sea 
(Lough  Foyle)  at  the  part  where  it  is  broadest,- turned  the  prow  of 
his  vessel  to  the  river  Roe,  which  flows  into  the  before-mentioned 
inlet  of  the  sea,  and  the  vessel  of  the  holy  man  glided  with  the  Divine 
assistance  up  this  river,  though  from  the  scantiness  of  its  waters  it  is 
otherwise  unnavigable.  The  place,  where  the  boat  then  stopped,  was 
in  after  times  named  from  the  circumstance,  Gabha-an-CImraidh,  that 
is  the — '  Hill  of  the  Boat ; '  it  is  very  near  Druimchett.  After  making 
a  moderate  delay  at  that  place  the  holy  man  with  his  venerable 
retinue  set  out  to  that  very  charming  gently  sloping  hill,  commonly 
called  Druimchett." 

Dr.  O'Donovan,  and  after  him  Dr.  Reeves  and  others,  have  fixed 
upon  the  "  Mullagh,"  or  "Daisy  Hill,"  in  Roe  Park  beside  Limavady, 
as  the  scene  of  the  Convention.  All  local  traditions  that  might  have 
assisted  to  identify  the  precise  spot  on  the  banks  of  the  Roe,  have 
disappeared  but  it  was  well  known  in  Colgan's  time  who  writes  : — 

"  Drumchead  in  the  Diocese  and  County  of  Derry,  at  the  river 
Roe,  is  a  place,  to-day  and  forever,  venerable,  especially  on  account 
of  the  many  pilgrimages  and  the  public  procession  of  the  Blessed  Sac- 
rament (Theophoriam),  which  on  the  festival  of  all  Saints,  is  there 
annually  made,  with  an  immense  concourse  from  all  the  neighbouring 
districts,  in  memory  of  the  aforesaid  Synod  that  was  there  celebrated." 
An  ably  written  article  which  appeared  in  the  Londonderry  Journal 
from  the  pen  of  one  of  the  priests  of  the  diocese  of  Derry  advocates, 
that  not  the  Daisy  Hill  but  Enagh,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  is 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  467 

with  the  legends.  Unfortunately  the  ancient  name  of  the 
curious  natural  pillar — the  Granny  Rock — which  is  an  object 
so  conspicuous  at  the  entrance  to  Port'  Brittas,  is  now  not 
known  ;  but  at  a  short  distance  from  the  harbour  is  Dun-a- 
Mallaglit,  popularly  translated — "  fort  of  the  curse  " — and  a 
little  farther  on  is  Dunrainey  which  is  popularly  translated — 
"  fort  of  the  queen."  The  Shesk,  until  the  middle  of  the 
last  century,  flowed  on  the  east  side  of  Dunrainey,  but  the 
name  of  the  ford  crossing  into  Drumahaman,  the  townland 
intervening  between  Dunrainy  and  Drumahitt,  has,  since  the 
change  in  the  river  was  effected,  dropped  out  of  popular 
recollection. 

the  scene  of  the  Convention.  It  argues — Enagh  signifies  a  place  of 
assembly,  that  hill  answers  the  description  of  Drum-ceat ;  it  is  near 
the  townland  of  Keady  ;  near  to  it  is  a  remarkable  rock  standing  out 
of  the  bank  ;  and  Enagh  affords  on  its  top  space  for  pavillions  and 
tents  which  the  Daisy  Hill  could  not  do.  The  legends  represent  the 
queen,  the  wife  of  the  monarch  Aedh,  as  violently  opposed  to  St. 
Columbkille  and  the  advocates  of  home  rule  for  Scotland ;  at  her 
instigation  her  son,  Conall,  met  Columbkille  as  he  was  approaching 
the  place  of  the  Convention  and  publicly  insulted  him  by  causing 
persons  to  cast  clay  at  him  and  his  Scottish  retinue,  on  which 
account  the  saint  pronounced  against  him  a  terrible  malediction.  The 
queen  and  her  waiting  maid  next  insult  the  saint  by  calling  him  a 
Colr-Chleirech — "a  degraded  cleric" — and  in  punishment  they  are 
transformed  into  two  Coirr-iasg — "herons  "  (commonly  called  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  cranes).  "Many  people  tell  us,"  says  Keating, 
"  that  this  is  the  reason  why  there  are  two  herons  ever  since  constantly 
seen  on  the  ford,  near  Druim-ceat."  What  special  reason  induced 
King  Aedh,  a  monarch  of  the  Kinel-Connell  race,  to  summon  a 
national  Convention  at  Limavaddy,  within  the  territory  of  the  Kinel- 
Oweu,  has  not  yet  been  satisfactorily  explained,  while  Drumahitt 
is  within  the  Dalriadan  territory  and  near  to  Scotland.  It  still 
preserves  a  traditional  memory  of  its  long  parliament  that  lasted 
thirteen  months  and  was  attended  by  St.  Columbkille  and  the  king 
of  Ireland,  and  can  show  the  '  fort  of  the  malediction,'  and  the  '  fort 
of  the  queen, '  between  Port  Brittas  and  its  own  'charming,  gently 
sloping  hill.'  " 


468  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

The  monastery  of  Bunamargy  was  so  named  from  its 
situation,  near  where  the  Margy  falls  into  the  sea.  Bun-na- 
Mairge — "  the  foot  of  Margy  " — the  name  by  which  the  river 
formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Shesk  and  Gary  streams  is 
known.  The  Bay  of  Ballycastle  was  formerly  known  as 
Marheton  Bay,  a  corruption  of  Mairge-town,  an  older  name 
of  Ballycastle.  Popular  tradition  ascribes  the  erection  of  the 
Franciscan  friary  to  Phelim  M'Cormick,  a  local  chieftain, 
who  erected  it  in  atonement  of  a  homicide  which  he  had 
committed.  A  MS.  list  of  the  Franciscan  convents,  which  is 
preserved  in  the  British  Museum  (ISTo.  4,814,  Plut.  cxx.,  G. 
p.  2),  states  that  the  convent  of  Bunamargy  in  the  Reuta  was 
founded  in  the  year  1500  by  Rory  M'Quillin,  Lord  of  the 
Rente.  Archdall,  on  the  authority  of  Ware,  says  :  "  A 
small  monastery  was  built  here  in  the  15th  century,  for 
Franciscan  friars  of  the  third  order."  A  M'Quillin  manu- 
script states  that  the  first  battle  between  the  M'Quillins  and 
the  MacDonnells  was  fought  on  the  level  grounds  immediately 
adjoining  the  monastery.  The  officers  under  Lord  Deputy 
Perrot,  during  the  campaign  of  1584  (see  p.  23),  fortified  the 
monastery  and  stabled  their  horses  in  the  church.  The 
following  letter,  addressed — "  To  the  right  Worshipfull  my 
verey  loveinge  cozen.  Sir  Henry  Bagenall  Knight,"  tells  of  a 
gallant  attempt  of  the  Scots,  commanded  by  Ponnall  Gorra 
MacDonnell,  Sorley  Boy's  nephew,  to  dislodge  the  English  : — 

My  very  good  Cozen, — The  day  I  wrote  to  you  last,  being  the 
first  of  this  moneth,  by  Shane  M 'Brian,  1  marched  from  the  Lough  to 
the  Abbey  of  Banymargey  where  I  found  captayne  Carleill  and  about 
47  men  of  his  and  captayne  Warrens  horsemen.  The  horsemen  were 
lodged  in  the  church,  and  with  our  two  companies  Ave  iucamped  near 
*hesame  ;  and  when  captayne  Bowens  company  came  we  caused  them 
to  lodge  at  the  Fort  of  Donanynie.  It  was  captayne  Carleill's  wach 
nyght ;  about  11  of  the  clok  the  same  nyght,  came  certayne  troupes 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  469 

of  Skottes  on  foot,  and  about  vi.  horsemen  with  them,  who  had  upon 
their  staves  wadds  lyghted,  wherewith  they  sodaynly  sett  the  roufe 
of  the  churche,  being  thatched,  on  fyer.  They  gave  us  a  brave 
canvasado,  and  entred  our  campe.  The  alarme  beinge  geven,  I  came 
forth  in  my  shert  :  and  at  our  hrst  incounter,  my  men  answeringe 
with  me  verie  gallantlie,  we  put  them  off  the  grounde,  where  they 
left  one  of  their  men  that  was  emongst  them  of  greate  accompte  ;  he 
was  Sorlles  gydon.  They  wold  fayne  have  had  him  away,  but  they 
were  so  plyed  with  Shotte,  that  they  left  him,  and  the  feld  also,  and 
fell  to  ronnynge  away  ;  where  our  horsemen  might  have  done  good 
servis,  but  they  were  so  pestered  in  the  church,  that  they  coulde  not 
get  forth  their  horses  in  tyme  to  doo  anythinge,  and  yet  the  skermish 
contynued  three  quarters  of  an  owre.  Ther  were  bornt  in  the  church 
seven  horse  and  hackneys.  I  had  slayne  my  sergeant,  and  one  armed 
man,  William  Jones  ;  captn.  Carleille  had  one  killed  and  eight  hurte  ; 
and  i  had  twelve  choys  men  hurte,  and  myselfe  with  arrowes,  in  the 
raynes  of  my  bak,  as  I  called  forwards  my  men  ;  in  the  arme,  and  in 
the  flanke,  and  through  the  thigh  ;  of  which  wounds  I  am  verie 
sore,  although  I  trust  in  God  I  shall  recover  it. 

Ther  passed  within  the  vewe  of  this  place  this  daye  24  galleys 
out  of  Cantyer,  as  is  supposed  to  land  some  Skottes  aboute  the  Red 
Bay  ;  our  shipping  here  had  the  sight  of  them,  but  it  was  so  calme 
they  could  not  bouge.  Our  victuals  be  not  yet  all  landed  ;  we  have 
great  trouble  with  the  caryage  of  it  up,  and  smale  help  of  the  contrie, 
There  are  certaynlie  looked  for  here  2,500  Skottes,  and  it  is  thought 
those  galleys  will  lande  them  this  nyght,  therfore  our  appointed 
meetinge  can  not  hold  ;  but  I  pray  you  intrench  yourselfe  stronglie, 
and  so  will  we,  to  keepe  this  place  till  we  hear  other  newes,  or  till 
my  Lord  Deputy  com,  to  whom  I  have  written  to  that  ende.  We 
have  sent  for  captayne  Bangor  and  captayne  Meryman  to  com  hyther, 
and  for  Captayne  Parker's  companie  to  com  to  Coollrane  to  kepe  that 
place.  1  fynde  the  companyes  heare  verie  weake,  partlye  by  manes 
of  leavinge  many  wardes  ;  ther  is  one  warde  at  Coollrane,  another  in 
the  castell  on  the  other  syde  of  the  Bande  ;  and  captayne  Bowen  hath 
XV.  men  where  he  lyeth  ;  and  nyne  in  the  ward  at  Donanany ;  so 
that  he  hath  not  heare  above  thre  skore  in  the  campe  ;  and  this 
skermish  hath  weakened  me  and  captayne  Carleille  of  24  men  that 
are  slayne  and  hurte  ;  and  for  our  horsemen,  we  can  make  no  accompt 
of  them,  lor  theire  horses  and  forneture  being  bornt,  they  are  able  to 
do  little  servis. 

I  have  taken  of  the  purser  of  the  Hare  VI.  horsemen's  staves  for 


470  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Lieutenant  Smyth  because  thers  are  bornt ;  I  praye  you  be  not  dis- 
pleased with  him  for  levinge  them.  I  pray  you  hasten  away  our 
proporcon  of  victuals,  for  I  loke  for  no  helpe  from  the  contrie.  And 
so,  with  my  hartiest  commendacons  to  yourself,  and  all  the  good 
company  with  you,  I  take  leve.  At  the  Fort  of  Donanany,  this  5th 
Janewary,  1584,     Your  verie  loveinge  cozen, 

William  Stanley, 

The  monastery  and  its  possessions  were  granted  to  th® 
MacDonnells  and  it  was  the  burial  place  of  the  family,  but 
as  long  as  the  Earls  continued  Catholics,  they  felt  in  con- 
science that  they  held  it  but  in  trust  for  the  Franciscans. 
Whenever  the  persecution  was  relaxed  the  friars  returned  ; 
and  in  time  of  danger,  moved  up  along  the  banks  of  the 
Shesk  to  their  "  Locus  Refugii  "  in  Ardagh. 

Cardinal  Moran  in  his  Specilegium  Ossoriense  has  given 
us  an  interesting  letter  written  in  Latin  to  some  dignitary  in 
Kome  by  Father  Patrick  Hegerty,  Superior  of  the  Mission 
in  the  Scottish  Islands.  It  is  dated  "  Bunmargy,  in  Ireland, 
this  last  day  of  October,  1639."  After  giving  a  general 
account  of  the  state  of  the  mission  he  says  : — 

"  This  year  the  God  of  all  consolation  has  deigned,  by  means  of 
my  so  vile  labour,  to  convert  to  the  Catholic  faith  about  700  Scots, 
very  many  of  whom  belong  to  the  principal  families  of  the  Islands 
and  Highlands  of  Scotland.  All  these,  after  confession  of  their  sins 
and  after  reception  of  holy  Communion,  the  Most  Rev.  the  Lord 
Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor  fortified,  in  our  monastery  of  Bunmargj', 
with  the  holy  Sacrament  of  Confirmation." 

The  Bishop  was  Dr.  Bonaventure  Magennis,  a  Franciscan, 
who  was  nephew  of  Lord  Magennis,  of  Rathfriland,  and  a 
near  relative  of  the  Earl  of  Antrim.  Bunamargy  presented 
great  facilities  to  the  Highland  Catholics  for  the  reception  of 
the  Sacrament  of  Confirmation.  The  Bishop  apparently  was 
on  a  visit  with  his  relative,  the  Earl,  and  the  Highlanders 
appeared  to  be  coming  to  the  fair  of  Bally  castle.     That  was 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  471 

perhaps  the  last  great  ceremony  of  the  Church  in  Bunamargy. 
The  community,  which  was  of  the  Third  Order  of  Francis- 
cans, had  practically  died  out.  It  is  true  there  was  a  friary 
in  Ardagh,  at  the  head  of  Glenshesk,  but  it  belonged  to 
the  Franciscans  called  Observantines,  or  Stricfioris  Observ- 
antice  and  was  the  Franciscan  Convent  of  Carrickfergus 
in  its  "  loco  refugli,"  To  it  were  gathered  the  remains  of 
the  Bunamargy  community,  but  a  General  Chapter  of  the 
Franciscans,  held  on  the  15th  of  August,  1687,  resolved  to 
create  new  communities  in  Dungannon,  ^owawar^?/,  Dromore, 
and  Derry,  and  to  supplicate  the  Minister  General  that  con- 
vents should  be  erected  in  those  places.  We  are  not  to 
understand  by  this  resolution  that  the  Franciscans  determined 
to  erect  buildings  at  Bunamargy,  or  even  to  reside  in  it,  but 
to  appoint  a  staff  of  conventual  officers,  who  would  hold  in 
the  order  a  titular  rank.  The  following  is  from  the  Chapter 
Acts  : — 

"  In  Capitulo  Provinciali,  die  xv.  Augusti,  Anno  1687,  habito. 
Venerabile  Definitorium  considerans  magnos  limites  Conventuum  de 
Armagh,  Carrighfergus,  Dune  et  Donegal!,  ob  ratiouabiles  causas, 
oncessit  et  statuit,  ut  iustituantur  hospitia  in  Dungannon,  Bonamagy, 
Drummore,  et  Derry,  vel  circa,  et  supplicavit  Kev.  dissimo  Patri 
Ministro  Generali,  ut  iisdem  locis  novi  erigantur  conventus." 

In  consequence  of  the  decree  of  the  Minister  General 
Bunamargy  became  a  convent  of  the  Franciscans  Strictioris 
Observmitice,  and  the  Yery  Rev.  Father  Francis  M'Cawley 
was  appointed  its  first  Guardianus  at  the  Provincial  Chapter 
held,  August  24th,  1690.  The  following  list  of  the  Guardians 
of  Bunamargy,  and  of  the  dates  of  the  Chapters  at  which 
they  were  elected,  is  from  the  archives  of  the  Order  : — 

Guardiani  Conventus  Bonamargy.  Appointed. 

V.A.P.  Franciscus  M'Cawley,       ...  ...         2,4th  August,  1690. 


472 


DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 


V.A.P. 


Franciscus  M'Donnell, 

...      18th  February,  1693. 

Joannes  Doran,     ... 

25th  July,  1697. 

Joannes  O'Neill,    ... 

26th  July,  1699. 

Philippus  Shenan, 

17th  October,  1700. 

Philippus  Brady,... 

9th  June,  1702. 

Michael  Gormlie,... 

...    13th  November,  1703. 

Bonaventure  M'Mahon,     ... 

9th  June,  1705, 

Idem. 

..     13th  November,  1706. 

Philippus  Brady,... 

12th  May,  1708. 

Antonius  Cambell, 

12th  October,  1709. 

Bonaventure  M'Mahon, 

7th  January,  1713. 

Jacobus  Petanus, 

1714. 

Franciscus  M'Donnell, 

10th  May,  1716. 

Franciscus  Fagan,  S.T.L.,... 

11th  October,  1717. 

Bernard  Cassidy,  * 

1717. 

Francis  Gallagher,  S.T.L.,* 

...    November  17th,  1729. 

Thomas  Kernan,  ... 

24th  July,  1739. 

James  Mackey,     ... 

25th  May,  1741. 

Bernard  Brian, 

16th  August,  1742. 

Francis  Clinton,   ... 

16th  April,  1744. 

Michael  M'Mullan, 

12th  August,  1745. 

James  Taafe, 

...     12th  February,  1747. 

Do.                   

22nd  August,  1748. 

Do.                  

...      16th  February,  1751. 

Michael  M'Mullan, 

1751. 

Bernard  O'Lappin, 

26th  August,  1751. 

Do. 

...      26th  February,  1753. 

Michael  Gallagher, 

26th  August,  1754. 

Antonius  Dunlevey,  Ex  Def. 

...    24th  September,  1755. 

Francis  Gormley, 

29th  August,  1757. 

Francis  Kiernan, ... 

...       19th  February,  1759. 

Ant.  Donlevy,  Ex  Def.     ... 

18th  August,  1760. 

Do. 

19th  October,  1761. 

Dominick  Davitt, 

22nd  August,  1763. 

Do. 

17th  April,  1765. 

James  Kane, 

18th  August,  1766. 

Peter  Woods, 

...     12th  November,  1767. 

Do.                  

28th  August,  1769. 

Ant.  Garvey, 

8th  June,  1770. 

John  Harlen, 

31st  August,  1772. 

Bernard  Devlin,   ... 

...    11th  November,  1773. 

THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  473 


r.  A.  p.  Antonius  M  'Davitt, 

1st  July,  1776. 

Do. 

30th  April,  1778. 

„       Francis  Coyle, 

19th  July,  1779. 

„       Anth.  M 'Davitt, 

29th  May,  1781. 

,,       Anth.  Clinton,      ... 

22nd  July,  1782. 

„       Bernard  M'Cabe, 

12th  May,  1784. 

,,       Peter  Cormyn,  S.T.L.  Jub., 

25th  July,  1785. 

,,       John  Lynch, 

9th  May,  1787. 

„       Peter  Hanlon,      

nth  July,  1788. 

Do.                  

18th  May,  1790. 

,,       Patrick  Maguire,... 

lltb  July,  1791. 

j,       Antonius  Cosgrove, 

23rd  July,  1793. 

„       James  M'Cartan,  S.T.L.,... 

14th  July,  1794. 

Do. 

1796. 

,,       Ambrose  Cassidy, 

1800. 

Do. 

1801. 

Do. 

1802. 

Patrick  Brad  J',  Ex  Def.,    ... 

1804. 

Do. 

1806. 

Peter  Martin, 

1815. 

,,       James  Reynolds,... 

1819. 

Do.                 

1822. 

,,       Thomas  Richmond, 

14th  January,  1824. 

,,       N.  Lynch, 

13th  July,  1825. 

The  office  of  Guardian  of  Bunamargy,  after  the  appoint- 
ment of  Father  Lynch,  remained  vacant  until  January  19th, 
1837,  when  the  Very  Rev.  Father  Bernard  Farrell  was 
appointed  ;  he  was  the  last  Guardian. 

The  remains  of  the  monastery  of  Bunamargy  consist  of  a 
chapel,  measuring  99|  by  24|^  feet  inside,  the  side  walls  of 
which  are  about  18  feet  high  and  nearly  4  feet  thick.  The 
gables  were  5  feet  thick  j  the  western  gable,  in  which  there 
is  said  to  have  been  a  very  beautiful  Gothic  door,  was  thrown 
down  by  a  storm  in  1770.      The  eastern  gable  is  pierced  by 

*The  appointments  marked  *  are  from  the  Chapter  Acts  that  were 
seized  by  the  sheriflf  of  Galway,  and  are  now  preserved  in  the  Record 
Office,  Dublin. 


474  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

a  beautiful  Gothic  window,  measuring  on  the  outside  5  feet 
4  inches  in  width  at  the  base,  and  rising  to  the  height  of 
about  17  feet.     This  window  is  splayed  in  the  inside  7  feet 

4  inches,  and  is  entirely  cased  with  freestone.  Under  the 
window,  standing  2  feet  above  the  surface,  are  the  stone 
slabs  which  supported  the  altar.  The  slab  on  the  north  side 
of  the  altar  is  8  inches  thick,  through  it  is  cut  a  small  door- 
way, Ig  feet  high  and  1  foot  wide;  the  corresponding  slab 
on  the  Epistle  side  of  the  altar  was  16  inches  thick.  The 
north  side  wall  had  no  window  ;  in  it,  10|  feet  from  the  east 
gable,  is  a  Gothic  doorway,  4  feet  wide  and  at  present  only 

5  feet  high,  communicating  with  a  hall  22|  feet  long,  4^ 
feet  bx-oad,  and  at  present  7  feet  high,  which  led  to  the 
domestic  parts  of  the  monastery  and  to  a  small  cloister  on 
the  north  side  of  the  chapel ;  the  corbel  stones  for  supporting 
the  roof  of  the  cloister  project  from  the  side  wall  of  the 
chapel.  The  lower  story  of  the  domestic  part  of  the  mona- 
stery is  roofed  with  a  flat  stone  arch  and  divided  into  two 
apartments,  one  of  which,  partly  formed  into  a  vault  by  the 
Cuppage  family,  seems  to  have  been  the  sacristy.  The  second 
story  is  reached  by  a  winding  stone  stair  leading  from  the  hall 
already  mentioned.  This  story  is,  in  the  inside,  54  feet 
long  and  2 1  feet  broad,  and  seems  to  have  been  lighted  by  9 
windows,  4  in  each  of  the  east  and  west  side  walls,  and  1  in 
the  north  gable.  The  windows  in  the  side  walls  were  each 
2 1  feet  high  and  10  inches  wide,  cased  with  cut  stone  ;  the 
window  in  the  gable  was  an  oblong,  4  feet  2  inches  high  and 
2  feet  2  inches  wide.  At  the  north-west  corner  of  this 
apartment  was  a  small  apartment  to  which  there  was  access 
by  a  doorway  5  feet  4  inches  high  and  2  feet  2  inches  wide  ; 
the  lower  story  of  this  little  apartment  is  6|  feet  long  and  1 
foot  10  inches  wide,  lighted  by  a  small  window  in  the  east 


THE  PARISH  OF  COLFEIGHTRIN.  475 

end.  (See  Ord.  Surv.  MS.,  written  a.d.  1832).  The  south 
side  wall  of  the  chapel  has  undergone  so  many  alterations, 
that  it  is  difficult  to  discover  the  original  uses  of  most  of  its 
architectural  features.  On  the  south  side,  at  the  distance 
of  5  feet  from  the  eastern  gable,  is  an  arched  doorway  leading 
to  a  chapel  31^  feet  long  and  23  feet  broad,  the  floor  of 
which  is  an  arch  over  the  vault  of  the  Antrim  family.  It 
is  said  that  there  was  once  an  altar  in  the  south  side  of  this 
chapel.  On  the  outside  of  the  southern  gable  of  this  chapel 
is  a  square  stone,  on  which  is  inscribed  : 

In  Dei,  Dei-Matrisque  honorem 

Nohilissimus    atque    illustrissimus 

Eandulphus  M'-Donnell 

Comes  de  Antrim, 

Hoc  Sacellum  fieri  curavit 

Anno  Dam.  1621. 

In  addition  to  the  vault  erected  by  Earl  Randal  there  is 
an  older  one,  in  which  were  interred  many  of  his  ancestors 
and  kindred,  while,  as  Mr.  Hill  remarks,  "  their  humbler 
kinsmen  sleep  around  in  the  sunshine  of  the  open  cemetery." 
Within  the  monastic  chapel,  on  the  south  side,  and  near  the 
entrance  to  the  Antrim  vault,  is  a  red  sandstone  bearing  the 
following  inscription  in  Roman  capitals  : — 

HEIRE  LYETH  THE  BO  DIE  OF 

JHN.  MNAGHTEN  SECTARIE  TO  RAJtTDAL, 

FIRST   ERLE    OF   ANTRIM,    WHO    DEPARTED 

THIS  MORTALITIE  IN  THE  YEAR  OF  OUR 

LORD  GOD,  1630. 

A  portion  of  this  inscription  has  been  purposely  destroyed. 
In  the  north-east  corner,  on  the  Gospel  side  of  the  altar,  is 


476  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

a  large  slab  of  sandstone  laid  on  the  ground,  which  bears  the 
following  inscription  : — 

HERE  LIETH  THE 
BODIES    OF    CAPTAIN 

STEWART  OF  DUN 

DERMOD  AND  FAMILY, 

AND   FRANCIS   STEWART 

BISHOP  OF  DOWN 

AND  CONNOR. 

Dr.  Stewart  was  a  Franciscan ;  he  was  appointed  to  the 
see  of  Down  and  Connor  in  1740,  and  died  in  1750. 

The  walls  of  a  small  building,  said  to  have  been  the 
porter's  lodge,  stood  62  feet  east  of  the  north-east  corner  of 
the  monastery.  It  is  said  that  this  little  house,  after  the 
departure  of  the  friars,  became  the  habitation  of  the  locally- 
celebrated  Julia  M'Quillin — the.  Black  Nun  of  Bunamargy — 
whose  prophecies  are  yet  traditionally  preserved  among  the 
peopl3.  One  of  them  foretells  that  Knocklayde  will  one  day 
belch  forth  a  torrent  of  water  that  will  inundate  the  country" 
to  the  extent  of  seven  miles.  At  her  death  it  is  said  she 
requested  to  be  interred  at  the  door  of  the  chapel,  that  she 
might  be  trodden  under  the  feet  of  those  who  entered,  and  a 
rude  stone  cross  standing  there  marks  her  grave. 

In  the  year  1820,  or  1821,  an  oaken  chest  was  discovered 
in  the  Antrim  vault,  and  in  it  four  manuscripts  in  a  state  of 
good  preservation.  One  of  them  passed  into  the  possession 
of  Mrs.  Fletcher  of  Belmont,  near  Carrickfergus.  It  contains 
a  large  portion  of  one  of  the  principal  theological  works  of 
St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  written  on  vellum,  in  very  contracted 
Latin,  and  extending  to  about  600  quarto  pages.  The 
earliest  date  appearing  on  it  is  1338,  and  the  latest  1380. 


THE  PARISH  OP  CULFEIGHTRIN.  477 

It  originally  belonged  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Anthony  of 
Amiens,  in  France.  Another  of  the  manuscripts  was  obtained 
by  the  late  Ezekiel  Davis  Boyd,  Esq.,  and  is  still  possessed 
by  bis  family.  This  manuscript,  though  not  so  beautifully 
written  as  the  one  already  referred  to,  is  closely  written,  in  a 
very  beautiful  hand  of  the  fourteenth  or  fifteenth  century, 
on  eighteen  leaves  of  vellum,  or  thirty-five  pages  in  two 
columns  on  each  page.  The  capital  letters  are  in  gold, 
surrounded  with  flowers  whose  colours  are  nearly  as  bright 
as  at  first.  It  consists  of  an  English  translation  of  portions 
of  Saint  Bonaventura' s  Life  of  Christ.  The  following  is  a 
specimen  of  the  grammatical  construction  and  spelling  used 
in  the  translation  : — 

"Our  Lord  wolde  not  telle  ho  that  shulde  betray  him,  for,  as 
Seynt  Augustinn  saith,  gif  Peter  hadde  guyst  whiche  he  hadde  ybeen, 
he  wolde  have  dasshid  hym  yn  the  teeth 

Of  the  apperynge  to  °  bretherea  the  apostle  writeth  thereof. 
And  all  the  apperynges,  buth  y  wrete  yu  the  Gospel.  And  further- 
more thou  mast  well  bethynke,  and  sooth  it  is  that  oure  blyssid  lord 
oftetyme  visited  his  moder,  and  hise  disciples,  and  Mawdeleyne, 
comfortynge  hem,  which  were  feruentliche  sory  of  his  passioun." 

What  befell  the  other  two  manuscripts  we  do  not  know, 
and  under  what  circumstances  they  were  originally  secreted 
in  the  Antrim  vault  can  only  be  conjectured.  See  Paper  hy 
Rev.  G.  Hill,  Ulster  Journal  of  Archaeology,  Vol.  VIII. ; 
and  Paper  hy  Mr.  T.  Huhand  Smith,  Proceedings  E.I. A., 
Vol.  IV. 

In  1851,  a  key  of  beautiful  workmanship^  which  had  been 
gilded,  was  found  near  the  ruins ;  it  is  at  present  deposited 
in  the  Eoyal  Irish  Academy.  In  the  winter  of  1859  heavy 
rains  washed  away  portions  of  a  sand-heap  close  to  the 
monastery,  and  laid  bare  some  fragments  of  old  crosses,  the 
remains  of  ancient   book  covers,  and  a  small  round  silver 


478  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

box,  either  a  reliquary  or  a  pyxis ;  The  late  Father 
M'Grlennon,  PP.,  Ramoan,  to  whom  it  was  given,  had  it 
refitted,  and  used  it  for  the  latter  purpose.  Local  tradition 
tells  that  a  chest,  containing  the  most  precious  articles 
belonging  to  the  friars,  was  buried  by  them  at  some  distance 
to  the  north-east  in  the  warren,  at  the  spot  to  which  a  light 
placed  in  the  great  eastern  window  just  reached.  There  was 
formerly  a  village  at  Bunamargy  in  which  the  Countess  of 
Antrim  resided  in  1666.  (See  p.  414).  At  some  depth 
beneath  the  surface  urns  and  decayed  bones  have  frequently 
been  found  in  the  warren.  There  is  also  in  it  a  cave  dug  out 
of  a  little  rock  but  it  is  now  (1838)  closed  up.  At  a  short 
distance  north  east  of  Bunamargy  the  remains  of  a  small 
oblong  building  of  stone  and  lime,  said  to  have  been  a  castle, 
stand  on  the  summit  of  one  of  the  little  hills  adjoining  the 
shore.  In  a  moat  near  the  shore  is  a  Standing  Stone  4  feet 
high,  3|  feet  broad,  and  3  feet  thick. — See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

An  ancient  stone  cross  stands  in  Broughanlea,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  road  and  opposite  to  Colliers  Hall.  It  is 
of  whin-stone,  2  feet  10  inches  high,  3  feet  across  the  arms 
and  from  2  to  4  inches  thick,  the  body  of  the  cross  is  1  ^  feet 
broad,  each  arm  extends  1  foot  from  the  body,  and  the  top 
rises  9  inches  above  the  line  of  the  arras.  Some  of  the 
instruments  of  the  Passion,  the  pincers  and  hammer,  are 
carved  on  the  front  of  the  cross.  It  was  found  many  years 
ago  buried  in  the  ground  at  a  little  distance  to  the  south  of 
the  place  where  it  now  stands.  Adjoining  the  place  where 
it  was  found  an  old  and  disused  graveyard  occupies  a  bank 
over  the  Cary  river.  Farther  east,  along  the  same  river,  are 
ruins  of  a  great  fort  composed  of  earth  and  stones,  marked 
on  the  map — The  Boon.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the  special 
haunt  of  fairies  but  the  dread  of  them  has  not  saved  the  fort 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  479 

from  destruction.  Running  into  the  sea  from  this  townland 
is  a  ledge  of  rock,  named  Carrick-JJisnach  ;  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  east  of  it,  in  Tornabodagh,  is  a  fortified  hill  named 
The  Boon,  towering  over  the  sea  ;  and  another  quarter  of  a 
mile  farther  east,  in  Tornaroan,  is  Cashinbarrow,  places 
recalling  incidents  in  the — "Tragedy  of  the  Children  of 
Uisnach,"*  on  which  MacPherson  founds  Darthula  in  his 
pretended  translation  of  the  Poems  of  Ossian. 

*"  The  Exile  of  the  Children  of  Uisneach  "  forms  one  of  the  Tri 
Thruaighe  na  Scealaigheachta — "Three  Sorrows  of  Story-Telling,'' 
or  the  "  Most  Sorrowful  Tales  "  of  Erin.  The  outline  of  the  tale  is  : — 
About  the  commencement  of  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  Era 
Connor,  or  Concovar,  was  King  of  Ulster  and  dwelt  in  Emania.  At 
the  birth  of  Deirdre  it  was  predicted  that  she  should  be  the  ruin  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Ulster,  but  when  others  counselled  that  she  should 
be  killed,  the  king,  unterrified  by  the  prediction,  took  her  from  the 
care  of  her  father  and  had  her  reared  under  persons  of  his  own 
appointment,  intending,  when  she  had  grown  to  woman's  years  to 
make  her  his  consort.  Unfortunately  for  his  plans  Deirdre,  as  soon  as 
she  was  grown  up,  persuaded  Naisi,  one  of  the  sons  of  Uisueach,  to 
elope  with  her  to  Scotland.  His  two  brothers  accompanied  them  in 
their  flight  to  Alba,  where  they  dwelt  in  a  sea-girt  isle  with  Deirdre. 
In  the  meantime  a  great  banquet  was  given  in  Emania  to  all  the 
nobles  of  Ulster,  and  King  Connor,  rising  from  his  regal  seat, 
addressed  them : — "  Know  you  of  any  want  whatever  under  which 
you  lie."  The  nobles  answered  -"  It  is  a  pity,  0  Concovar,  that  the 
sons  of  Uisneach  should  fall  in  the  lands  of  enemies  ;  for  lions  in  valour 
and  prowess  are  they."  The  king  could  not  refuse  a  request  so 
pressing,  but  he  reminded  them  that  the  sons  of  Uisneach  were  under 
Geis  (solemn  vow)  not  to  return  except  with,  and  under  the  protection 
of,  Fergus  MacKoigh,  Connall  Carnach,  or  Cuchulain.  The  king 
selected  Fergus  and  bound  him  under  Geis — "a  heroe's  solemn  vow," 
that  he  would  impose  a  similar  Geis  on  the  sons  of  Uisneach,  that, 
on  their  arrival  in  Erin,  they  would,  without  stop  or  stay,  hasten  on 
to  Emania,  and  that  they  would  not  eat  food  in  Erin  until  they  should 
eat  the  food  of  Concovar.  The  king  intended  treachery  to  the  young 
princes  but  he  feared  Fergus,  their  protector  ;  calling  therefore  to 
him  one  of  his  courtiers^  Barach,  son  of  Cainte,  whose  residence  was 


480  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

Immediately  adjoining  Cassanbarrow  is  the  North  Star 
Colliery,  one  of  the  many  mines  that  tunnel  the  north-west 
side  of  Benmore.  Here,  about  1770,  the  miners,  in  pushing 
forward  an  adit  toward  the  bed  of  coal,  unexpectedly  broke 

at  Dun-Barach,  immediately  opposite  to  Alba,  "  he  asked  him 
whether  he  had  a  banquet  prepared  for  him.  '  I  have,'  said  Barach. 
'  If  so ,' said  Concovar,  '  give  it  to  Fergus  soon  as  he  shall  arrive  in 
Erin,  for  it  is  a  Oeis  of  his  not  to  refuse  a  banquet.'  "  As  soon  as 
Fergus  and  his  charge  touched  on  the  coast  of  Erin  they  hastened  to 
Dun-Barach  and  as  they  went  "  Deirdre  looked  after  her  at  the  regions 
of  Alba,  and  this  is  what  she  said— '  My  affection  to  you,  0  land, 
yonder  in  the  east.'  ....  After  these  lays  they  reached  the 
mansion  of  Barach."  That  treacherous  minion  of  a  treacherous  king 
"  after  impressing  kisses  thrice  repeated  "  on  each  of  his  visitors 
invited  Fergus  to  "an  ale-banquet."  "When  Fergus  heard  this  "he 
became  a  reddened,  crimson  bulk  from  head  to  foot,"  and  addressed 
his  host  in  no  complimentary  language.  In  the  mean  time  Deirdre 
advised  the  sons  of  Uisneach  "to  go  to  Piachlainn  between  Erin  and 
Alba  and  to  abide  there  until  Fergus  partake  of  the  banquet,  this  will 
be  a  fulfilling  of  his  word  to  Fergus  and  it  will  be  a  prolonging  of  life 
for  you."  The  sons  of  Uisneach,  however,  confiding  in  their  owo 
courage,  determined  to  go  to  the  royal  residence  of  Emania.  The 
remainder  of  the  story  has  not  for  us  any  local  interest  ;  suffice  it  to 
say,  the  king  violated  all  his  promises  and  the  sons  of  Uisneach, 
after  performing  prodigies  of  valour  were  overpowered  by  the  number 
of  Concovar's  foreign  troops,  for  the  native  warriors  would  not  imbrue 
their  hands  in  the  blood  of  such  heroes.  The  nobles  of  Ulster, 
indignant  at  the  base  treachery  of  their  monarch,  revolt  against  him 
and  a  series  of  internal  wars  commence  which  eventually  terminate 
in  the  final  ruin  of  the  Kingdom  of  Ulster.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  many  of  the  scenes  in  this  finely  wrought  tale  are  placed  in  the 
immediate  locality  of  which  we  are  now  treating.  Carrick  Uisneach 
originally,  no  doubt,  Cairge  vie  Uisnich — "the  rock  of  the  sons  of 
Uisneach."  Cassinbarrow,  Oassan-Bharaigh — "  the  path  of  Barach." 
Deirdre  looks  back  on  the  hills  of  Scotland  which  she  sees  as  she 
moves  to  Dun-Bharaigh — "the  fortress  of  Barach"  (pronounced 
Dun-varry) — a  name  still  given  by  Irish-speaking  people  to  a  Celtic 
fort,  the  site  of  which  is  occupied  by  the  coast-guard  Station  at  Torr 
Head  ;  and  near  it  is  Slaght-Baragh  (Barach's  monument),  where 
Barach  sleeps  independent  of  the  smiles  or  frowns  of  King  Connor. 


THE  PARISH  OP  CULFEIGHTRIN,  481 

through  the  rock  into  a  narrow  passage.  Two  lads,  James 
M'Kiernan  and  William  M'Neal,  ventured  to  creep  into  it 
with  candles,  and,  after  much  labour  and  diificulty,  entered 
into  an  extensive  labyrinth,  branching  off  into  numerous 
apartments,  in  the  mazes  of  which  they  were  completely 
bewildered  and  lost,  and  it  was  only  after  about  thirty  hours 
of  incessant  labour,  that  the  miners  were  enabled  to  rescue 
them  from  their  perilous  position.  "  On  examining  this 
subterranean  wonder,"  says  Dr.  Hamilton,  Letters  from  the 
Coast  of  Antrim,  written  in  1784,  ''it  was  found  to  be  a 
complete  gallery,  which  had  been  driven  forward  many 
hundred  yards  to  the  bed  of  coal ;  *  that  it  branched  off  into 
numerous  chambers,!  where  miners  had  carried  on  their 
different  works ;  that  these  chambers  were  dressed  in  a 
workmanlike  manner ;  that  pillars  were  left  at  px'oper 
intervals  to  support  the  roof.  In  short  it  was  found  to  be 
an  extensive  mine,  wrought  by  a  set  of  people  at  least  as 
expert  at  the  business  as  the  present  generation.  Some 
remains  of  the  tools,  even  of  the  baskets  used  in  the  works, 
were  discovered,  but  in  such  a  decayed  state  that  on  being 
touched  they  immediately  crumbled  to  pieces."  There  was 
not  the  most  remote  tradition  regarding  this  mine,  and  the 
sides  and  pillars  were  covered  with  sparry  incrustations 
which  are  not  deposited  only  after  ages.  "  The  discovery 
of  this  colliery  is  one  of  those  proofs,  which,  without  deciding 
either  time  or  persons,  tend  strongly  to  show  that  there  was 

*  The  adit  had  been  carried  forward  450  yards,  a  little  more  than 
a  quarter  of  an  English  mile  and  the  level  industriously  preserved. 

+  There  were  36  of  these  chambers  discovered  and  they  were  again 
used  by  the  workmen  who  discovered  them.  Some  pieces  of  iron 
were  discovered,  and  it  appeared  that  some  of  the  ancient  instruments 
used  in  the  mine  had  been  thinly  shod  with  that  metal. 

2  F 


482  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

an  age  when  Ireland  enjoyed  a  considerable  sliare  of  civili- 
zation."— Hamilton's  Letters.* 

In  the  townland  of  Ballynawlough  is  a  field  named  Castle 
Park,  which  in  1838  was  in  the  farm  of  Father  Luke  Welsh  ; 
in  it,  at  the  distance  of  about  one  hundred  yards  south  of 
the  Protestant  church,  were  the  ruins  of  an  earthen  fort, 
apparently  circular^  15  yards  in  diameter  and  5  feet  in  height, 
occupying  the  summit  of  a  small  but  beautiful  eminence. 
There  was  formerly  here  some  kind  of  a  building  composed 
of  a  great  quantity  of  large  and  small  stones,  which  were 
removed  during  the  last  century.  The  people  called  it  a 
castle,  but  whether  it  was  an  ancient  Celtic  Cashiol,  or  a 
more  modern  castle,  cannot  now  be  determined  ;  however, 
in  1838  the  Ordnance  officials  learned  frooa  the  oldest 
inhabitants,  that  it  was  named  "  Cahir — Rio  Ouila — the 
court,  or  seat  of  the  King  of  Ulster,"  ( Cathair-rigli-Ulaidh) ; 
that  there  was  among  them  a  tradition  that  it  was  the 
royal  i-esidence  of  Connor,  King  of  Ulster  ;  and  that  it  gave 
name  to  the  barony  of  Cary,  Not  a  trace  of  any  ancient 
remains  is  now  to  be  seen  in  the  field.  About  300  yards 
east  of  the  site  are  the  remains  of  a  small  bog,  formerly 
named  Moneen-na-sleigh — "  the  bog  of  the  spears  " — from 
the  number  of  bronze  spears  found  in  it,  which  were 
supposed  to  have  been  lost  in  the  many  battles  fought  around 
the  royal  residence.  In  the  cemetery  of  the  Protestant 
church  are  two  Standing  Stones,  the  western  one  is  8|  feet 

*Sir  "William  Petty's  survey,  which  was  completed  before  1670, 
has  not  a  word  about  coal  at  Ballycastle,  though  he  notes  the  salt- 
works between  the  town  and  Fairhead.  In  1721  the  first  application 
was  made  to  Parliament  by  the  Hon.  R.  Stewart,  Thomas  Burgh,  Esq., 
and  others,  for  aid  to  work  the  Ballycastle  collieries.  That  coal  was 
found  in  the  lime,  and  used  in  the  erection  of  old  castles,  is  noted 
at  pp.  226  and  378. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIK.  483 

high,  four-sided, — each  side  being  nearly  2|  feet  broad  ;  at  the 
distance  of  nearly  22  yards  to  the  east  of  it  stands  the  other, 
nearly  7  feet  high,  of  an  irregular  shape,  3  feet  9  inches 
broad,  and  from  1  foot  10  inches  to  2^  feet  thick  at  the 
base.  At  a  short  distance  to  the  east  ot  the  church  is  a  portion 
of  a  Standing  Stone,  3^  feet  high,  but  it  was  formerly  much 
higher.  Near  it  were  discovered,  at  some  depth  under  the 
earth,  two  cists  formed  of  flagstones ;  each  contained  a  cine- 
rary urn.  In  Barnish  there  is,  on  an  eminence  adjoining  the 
road,  in  the  farm  of  Alexander  Hunter,  a  fort  15  yards  in 
diameter,  and  enclosed  by  a  parapet  of  earth  and  stones  from 
2  to  4  feet  high,  and  from  4  to  10  feet  thick.  In  the  area 
of  the  fort  are  the  remains  of  a  circular  mound  of  earth  and 
stones,  6  yards  in  diameter  and  5  feet  high.  On  the  west  side 
of  the  mound  a  cist,  4  feet  long,  1  foot  broad,  and  1^  feet  deep, 
formed  by  long  flat  stones,  has  been  exposed ;  but  of  its 
original  contents  nothing  is  known.  On  this  mound  formerly 
stood  a  very  large  stone,  which  was  removed  to  Ballycastle 
pier  by  Mr.  Boyd;  it  was  so  large  that  it  required  eight 
horses  to  draw  it :  this  stone  was  the  subject  of  the  prophecy 
referred  to  in  p.  402.  At  a  little  distance  south  of  the 
mound  there  was  discovered  in  1838,  at  the  depth  of  20  feet, 
a  cist  8  feet  long,  2  feet  wide,  and  1|  feet  deep  ;  enclosed  and 
covered  by  flat  stones,  and  paved  in  the  bottom  with  small 
stones.  The  cist  was  filled  with  decayed  bones  and  ashes. 
About  seven  yards  distant  from  this  cist,  in  another,  which 
was  not  so  long,  was  discovered  an  urn  of  a  pale  red  colour, 
very  hard,  and  ornamented  on  the  outside.  It  is  in  the 
interior  41  inches  in  diameter,  and  4J  inches  in  depth,  and 
about  h  inch  thick  ;  it  was  filled  with  bones  and  ashes.  On 
the  summit  of  a  high  hill,  in  the  farm  of  Alexander  Rankin, 
stand  the  ruins  of  a  mound,  abovit  8  yards  in  diameter  and 


484  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

5  feet  in  height,  but  at  present  much  disfigured.  In  the  area 
are  four  large  stones  which  are  supposed  to  have  enclosed  a 
cist.  The  hill  is  appropriately  named  Knockanavirk ' 
{Cnoc-an-amhairce — "Hill  of  the  View).  In  the  same 
farm  was  a  cave  which  has  been  completely  destroyed.  See 
Orel  Surv.  MS. 

In  Ballyvoy,  at  a  small  distance  from  the  shore,  on  an 
eminence  rising  455  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  formerly 
stood  a  small  ci'omleach.  "  Within  memory,"  says  Mr.  Gray, 
(The  Cromlechs  of  Antrim  and  Down),  "  the  monument  was 
complete,  and  the  chamber  was  the  favourite  retreat  of 
badgers.  Here  the  country  sportsmen  came  with  their  dogs 
to  hunt ;  and  the  '  sport '  resulted  in  the  overturning  of  the 
cap-stone  and  the  comparative  destruction  of  the  monument." 
It  stood  about  the  centre  of  an  enclosure  formed  by  a  number 
of  large  stones  sunk  in  the  ground,  and  standing  from  1  to 
2 1  feet  above  the  surface  ;  from  it  the  place  is  locally  called 
Knochanteemore — ^'  the  Hill  of  the  Great  House."  It  seems, 
therefore,  to  have  belonged  to  the  same  class  of  monuments 
as  the  Stone  House  in  Tycloy.  In  its  interior,  some  depth 
beneath  the  surface,  decayed  human  bones  were  found  a  few 
years  before  1838.  At  the  distance  of  about  35  yards  south 
west  of  the  cromleach,  and  on  a  somewhat  lower  level,  stood 
a  "  Giant's  Grave,"  28  by  11  feet  in  extreme  length  and 
breadth,  and  from  5  to  6  feet  wide  in  the  interior,  formed  by 
large  stones,  some  of  which  yet  remain,  and  stand  from  1  to 
3  feet  above  the  surface.  One  of  the  cap-stones  rested  on  its 
supporters  at  the  west  end  of  the  "  Grave  "  until  some  years 
previous  to  1838,  but  it  was  blown  up  with  gunpowder  and 
removed ;  many  of  the  other  stones  shared  a  similar  fate. 
About  300  yards  south  of  the  "  Giant's  Grave  "  are  the  ruins 
of  some  structure,  called  by  the  people,  "  a  Druid's  House  ;  " 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  485 

it  is  16J  by  11-J  feet  in  the  interior;  the  walls  average  6 
feet  in  thickness,  and  are  composed  chiefly  of  large  stones  set 
on  their  ends  and  sides  in  the  ground,  and  standing  from  1  to 

3  feet  above  the  surface  :  the  structure  is  at  present  much 
disfigured.  About  80  yards  south  of  the  "  Druid's  House  " 
there  is,  in  John  Kerr's  farm,  a  circular  enclosure  18  yards 
in  diameter,  made  of  large  stones  ;  the  enclosing  wall  is  from 

4  to  6  feet  in  thickness.  In  the  interior  were  same  small 
erections,  but  so  ruined  that  their  original  use  could  not  be 
conjectured.     From  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

In  the  mountain  grazing  of  John  M'Kinley,  in  Ballyreagh 
Upper,  is  a  "  Giant's  Grave  "  enclosed  by  2  stones,  which 
stand  3|^  feet  high  and  are  6|  feet  in  length;  there  was 
formerly  a  stone  at  each  end  of  the  "  Grave,"  which  measured 
8  feet  long  and  2^  broad.  At  a  short  distance,  and  in  the 
same  farm,  is  an  enclosure  11  feet  by  II  feet  in  the  inside, 
bounded  by  large  stones,  many  of  which  are  now  removed. 
In  Duncan  M'Grath's  farm,  in  Craigfad,  the  ruins  of  an  oval 
fort,  14  by  11  yards,  occupy  the  summit  of  a  rocky  hill, 
near  the  base  of  which,  at  the  south-west  side,  stand  close 
to  each  other  three  large  stones.  At  the  distance  of  200 
yards  south-east  of  this  fort  are  the  ruins  of  another,  20 
yards  in  diameter,  enclosed  by  a  moat,  averaging  15  feet  in 
width;  and  a  parapet  from  8  to  15  feet  broad  at  the  base, 
and  from  5  to  10  feet  high,  composed  of  earth  and  stones. 
Within  the  area  stood  some  building  24  feet  by  12,  enclosed 
by  a  wall  and  parapet  of  earth  and  stones,  but  at  present 
nearly  destroyed. — Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

The  townland  of  Cross,  which  contains  784  acres,  and 
occupies  the  northern  extremity  of  the  rocky  plateau  of 
Benmore,  or  Fairhead,  is  replete  with  remains  of  the  past.* 

*In  passing  along  the  summit  of  Fairhead  several  fissures  in  the 


486  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

An  ancient  graveyard  named  Killyleenan,  enclosed  by  an  old 
stone  and  clay  fence,  occupied  about  two  roods  of  ground  in 
a  secluded  dell  surrounded  by  rocky  hills.  In  the  east  corner 
are  the  ruins  of  the  church,  measuring  in  the  inside  16|  by 
10  feet,  filled  with  graves  of  unbaptized  children.  The  walls 
are  of  stone  and  clay,  about  3  feet  broad  and  from  1  to  4 
feet  high,  but  now  mostly  overgrown  with  heath.  The  door 
which  was  in  the  western  gable  was  3  feet  wide.  One  of 
the  jamb-stones  still  standing  is  2|  feet  high  1  broad,  and  6 
inches  thick  ;  the  other,  which  has  fallen,  is  3|  feet  long,  1| 
feet  broad,  and  5  inches  thick.  A  few  perches  to  the  north- 
east of  it  was  a  cashiol,  in  which  was  a  cave  usual  to  such 
military  structures,  but  both  have  been  reduced  to  a  heap  of 
ruins  in  order  to  obtain  the  stones  used  in  their  construction. 
At  the  distance  of  100  perches  to  the  north-east  of  Killy- 
leenan church  are  the  foundations  of  a  church  called  Killowen, 
measuring  in  the  inside  34  feet  by  16.  The  site  of  the 
graveyard  is  a  kitchen  garden ;  near  it  is  the  site  of  a  cross, 

face  of  the  precipice  present  themselves.  One  of  them  is  named  Fir- 
leith  (perhaps  Cassa^i-Fhir-leith) — "  Grey  Man's  Path  " — said  to  have 
been  so  named  from  some  holy  man  who  came  here  each  day  from 
some  of  the  neighbouring  churches  to  pass  his  time  in  prayer  and 
meditation — and  where  on  the  whole  earth  could  the  Grey  Man  find 
a  place  fitter  for  meditation  ?  The  entrance  to  the  pass  at  the  top  is 
narrow,  and  a  massive  pillar  fallen  across  it,  and  supported  at  a  con- 
siderable height  by  the  rocks  on  either  side,  gives  to  it  the  appearance 
of  a  natural  gateway.  Through  this  the  path  conducts  by  a  gradually 
expanding  passage,  and  "the  scene,"  says  one  of  the  Guide  Books, 
"becomes  much  more  interesting.  A  beautiful  arrangement  of 
pillars  in  various  degrees  of  elevation  is  now  apparent ;  the  solid  walls 
of  wide  and  threatening  columns  inei^easing  in  height,  regularity,  and 
magnificence,  until,  at  the  foot  of  the  precipice,  they  attain  to  a  per- 
pendicular elevation  of  220  feet.  The  mighty  mass  upon  which  the 
promontory  itself  is  based,  and  which  is  peculiarly  characterized  by 
savage  wildness,  being  rendered  the  more  imposing  from  the  violence 
with  which  the  ocean  rages  around  it." 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  487 

from  which,  probably,  the  townland  was  named.  About  28 
feet  south  of  the  foundations  is  an  extensive  cave,  constructed 
in  the  usual  manner.  There  are  several  similar  caves  in  the 
same  farm,  but  they  are  all  closed.  On  a  rocky  eminence, 
about  150  yards  east  of  the  church,  was  a  cist  7i  feet  long,  2| 
broad,  and  I|  deep,  enclosed  by  flat  stones  ;  but  what  its  con- 
tents were  is  not  known.  See  Ord.  MS.  Lough-na-Cranagh, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Killowen,  is  named  from  a  circular  cram- 
oge  or  artificial  island  in  the  centre  of  it.  This  lough  is 
entered  on  Speed's  Map  of  Ulster  (engraved  in  1610),  under 
the  name  of  Lough  Dunmore,  so  called  from  the  Cashiol  fort 
mentioned  above.  Another  small  island  in  the  lough  is 
named  Illannagarde  because  it  had  been  used  for  military 
purposes. 

The  foundations  of  the  church  of  Kilmologe,  in  the  town- 
land  of  Bighouse,  stand  on  the  south-west  side  of  a  range  of 
rocks  named  Drumnakill,  which  rise  to  a  great  height  along 
Murlogh  Bay.  The  church  measured  in  the  inside  28  feet 
by  11  ;  the  walls  are  from  2^  to  3  feet  broad,  and  from  1  to 
3  feet  high,  built  of  stones  cemented  with  grouted  mortar. 
7  yards  to  the  north,  from  the  east  end,  is  an  ancient  cross 
of  mountain  sandstone.  45  yards  to  the  north-west  is  an 
oval  font  or  basin,  1|  feet  by  1  foot  in  breadth  and  4|  inches 
in  depth,  hollowed  out  of  a  large  stone  situated  among  the 
rocks.  At  the  west  end  is  the  grave  of  St.  Mologe,  out  of 
which  clay  is  taken  as  a  preservative  against  various 
evils  ;  "  but  the  clay  should  only  be  lifted  by  the  person 
entitled  to  lift  it,  who  must  belong  to  an  old  family  named 
M'Cormick,  residing  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  church  ; 
the  practice  of  lifting  the  clay  is  partially  relinquished  of 
late  years."—  Ord.  Surv.  MS.  Among  the  rocks  close  to  the 
ruin  is  lying  a  cone-shaped  lump  of  flint,  about  9  inches  in 


488  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

length  and  about  5  inches  in  diameter,  the  base  of  which  is 
somewhat  convex,  and  about  5  inches  in  diameter  (the 
measurements  are  from  memory).  Into  the  apex  of  the  cone 
is  drilled  a  small  hole.  There  is  now  no  respect  for  the 
scone,  nor  did  the  people  seem  to  have  at  all  observed  it ; 
yet  it  obviously  belonged  to  the  same  class  of  stones  that  are 
preserved  with  such  respect  on  the  Clocha-hreaca  altar,  in 
Inismurray,  off  the  coast  of  Sligo.  Mr.  Wakeman,  in  his 
valuable  report  on  the  antiquities  of  that  island,  has  given 
drawings  of  those  stones.  Into  some  of  them  holes  are 
drilled,  and  they  are  even  provided  with  stone  stoppers  that 
fit  into  the  holes,  like  the  stoppers  of  modern  glass  ware  * 

The  Terrier  notices  this  church,  "  Ccqoella  de  Killoan — the 
chappell  of  St.  James  in  Morollocke,  near  the  Fair  Foreland 
(the  name  on  Speed's  Map  for  Fairhead )  ;  it  is  usurped  and 
concealed  by  the  parson  of  Kulfechtrene  a  longtime,  and  'tis 
exempted  (from  payment  of  Proxies,  Refections,  and  Synod- 
als)."       It  may,  however,   be  that  this  entry  refers  to  the 

*Stones,  said  in  some  way  to  have  been  associated  with  the 
ancient  saints,  were  preserved  in  many  places  in  Ireland  and  Scot- 
land. A  round  green  stone,  about  the  size  of  a  goose  egg,  called 
Bal  Muluy—i.e,,  Moling's  Stone  Globe,  was  preserved  in  the  parish 
of  Kilbride,  in  the  island  of  Arran. — Alartbi's  Western  Islands.  The 
"  Ej^e  Stone  "  is  preserved  in  the  ruined  chapel  at  the  Bed  in  Glen- 
columkill.  It  may  be  the  celebrated  Glocli  Ruadli  with  which 
Columbkill  banished  the  demons  from  Sengleann  (Glencolumkill). 
O'Donnell  calls  it  a  blue  stone,  and  speaks  of  it  as  preserved  in 
Glencolumkill.  ^ee  Dr.  Reeves's  Notes  to  Adamnan.  Mr.  Wakeman 
gays  of  some  of  the  Inismurray  stones  :  "  But  that  their  bases  exhibit 
no  sign  of  abrasion,  one  might  regard  them  as  pestles  or  pounders  ; 
and  yet  it  may  be  asked  why  should  such  implements  appear  amongst 
the  sacred  altar  stones."  There  was  formerly  preserved  at  Magher- 
nagaw,  in  the  parish  of  Aghagallon,  a  stone  with  which  St.  Mogawoge 
(Gobbanus, — see  Vol.  II.,  j)P-  282  and  73)  beat  his  breast  when 
performing  his  penances. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  489 

church  of  Killowen  in  Cross,  or  to  the  church  of  the 
same  name  in  Torr  East.  The  most  of  the  ancient 
graveyard  is  now  under  tillage,  but  the  part  immediately- 
adjoining  the  walls,  and  the  interior  of  the  church,  are 
thickly  studded  with  graves,  and  among  the  rocks,  where  any 
fertile  spot  happens  to  be  tilled,  it  is  found  to  have  been  used 
for  interments.  Outside  the  graveyard  are  artificial  caves — 
the  usual  indication  of  an  ancient  village.  Stations  were 
formerly  performed  here,  but  as  they  have  been  long  discon- 
tinued it  is  difficult  to  find  out  any  particulars.  It  is  said, 
however,  that  the  penitents  prayed  at  the  cross  at  Killowen 
church,  more  than  a  mile  to  the  west ;  and  at  another  cross 
on  "  the  Golden  Hill,"  two  miles  south-west  of  Murlough. 
A  few  perches  to  the  south-east  is  Portatrostan — "  the  Port 
of  the  Pilgrim's  Staff  " — the  pilgrimage  testifying  how  much 
the  holy  places  in  Bengore  were  of  old  venerated.  It  may, 
however,  be  so  named  from  a  rock  formed  by  the  action 
of  the  water  into  the  shape  of  a  crutch.*  At  some 
distance  west  of  the  old  church,  there  formerly  stood  in  the 
valley,  a  large  stone  used  as  an  altar  during  times  of  perse- 
cution ;  and  tradition  points  out  the  remains  of  a  priest's 
house,  but  his  name  is  forgotten.  About  a  halfa-mile 
north-west  of  the  church  a  cist,  8  feet  long,  5  feet  broad,  and 
4  feet  deep,  was  discovered  about  1798  in  the  farm  of 
Daniel  M'Cormick ;  it  contained  5  urns  filled  with  ashes, 
which  fell  to  pieces  in  their  removal. 

*When  the  officers  of  the  Ordnance  Survey  visited  Murlough,  in 
1838,  the  name  and  grave  of  St.  Mologe  were  well  known.  Unfortu- 
nately, among  the  several  saints  of  that  name  we  cannot  distinguish 
the  cue  associated  with  Murlough.  A  "  patron,"  called  the  Fair  of 
Murlough,  was  formerly  held  at  it,  and  if  the  day  could  be  ascertained, 
it  would  fix  his  festival-day,  and  enable  us  to  distinguish  St.  Mologe 
among  the  others  of  the  same  name.      It  appears,  however,   that 


490  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

Murlough  (in  Irish.  Mur-hholg — "  the  sea  ialefc,")  is  men- 
tioned as  the  scene  of  a  great  battle  between  the  forces  of 
Neimhidh  (pronounced  Nevvy)  and  the  Fomorians,  in  which 
the  latter  were  defeated,  but  their  celebrated  leader,  Coning, 
slew  Starn,  son  of  Nevvy.  The  Four  Masters  record  it, 
under  A.M.  2859,  "  the  battle  of  Murbulg  in  Dal-Riada  ;  " 
and  Keating  adds  :  "The  battle  of  Murvolg  in  Dalriada,  or 
Ruta,  where  Stai-n,  son  of  Nevvy,  fell  by  Coning,  son  of 
Foevar,  in  Leithiod-Lachtmoighe,"  (pronounced  Lehid-Lact- 
raoy)*  which  Dr.   Reeves  translates  :  "  the  expanse  of  the 

during  the  last  century  the  people  named  every  Sunday  "  Murlough 
Fair,"  on  which  Mass  was  celebrated  in  the  Glen.  Luan,  by  prefixing 
Mo,  and  adding  Oge,  as  the  Irish  usually  did  with  the  names  of  the 
saints,  becomes  Mologe.  It  is  not  unlikely  this  is  the  Luan  of  Bangor, 
who  founded  a  hundred  monasteries  as  mentioned  by  St.  Bernard, 
aud  that  he  is  the  founder  of  the  churches  named  Kilmovruan,  in 
Eathlin  (see  p.  380).  The  discrimination  displayed  by  St.  Mologe  in 
selecting  such  a  delicious  spot  for  meditation  and  calm  retirement 
can  only  be  fully  appreciated  when  one  looks  down  from  some  of  the 
abrupt  cliffs  that  overhang  the  shore  in  Torgldss,  There  the  pleasing 
and  softly  beautiful  scenery  of  Murlough  unfolds  itself  like  a  momen- 
tary glimpse  of  Eden.  The  site  of  the  church,  sheltered  by  the  rocks 
of  Drumnakill  ;  the  cottage  of  Mr.  MacOary,  nestling  in  the  shade 
of  the  cliffs  of  Knockbrack,  the  green  lawn  sloping  down  to  the  sea  ; 
the  groves  of  trees  adding  artificial  embellishment  to  natural  beauty — 
all  shut  off  from  the  outer  world  by  blue  ocean  aud  frowning  preci- 
pice—present  it  to  the  imagination  as  some  fragment  of  the  earlier 
earth,  guarded  by  cherubim's  sword  ;  and  tells,  though  we  know 
little  of  the  history  of  Mologe,  that  Titian  or  Rembrandt  surpassed 
him  not  in  appreciation  of  landscape  beauty. 

*This  Leithiod,  Lethed-Midinn,  tne  site  of  a  battle  fought  A.n. 
622  (see  p.  431),  "  Dun  Bao-dain  in  Lethead,"  and  "  Baetan  of  Leath- 
ead  of  the  seas,"  (mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Lexan),  the  mountain  of 
Dunlayd,  and  the  parish  of  Layd,  all  seem  to  indicate  that  there  was 
once  an  extensive  territory  in  the  present  county  of  Antrim  named 
Lehid  ;  perhaps  it  was  an  older  name  for  DalRiada,  before  the  race 
of  Cairbre  Eiada  seized  on  that  territory. 


THE  PARISH  OF   CULFEIGHTRIN.  491 

milky  plain;"  and  adds,  "probably  the  parish  of  Layd." 
Some  of  the  great  stone  monuments  so  profusely  scattered 
over  the  entire  country,  from  Benmore  to  the  sources 
of  the  Shesk,  no  douV)t,  mark  the  resting-place  of 
Starn  and  the  other  Nevedian  warriors  who  fell  in  Lehid, 
near  Murlough. 

On  the  side  of  Crockanore,  or  "  the  Golden  Hill,"  lies  a 
rude  block  of  whinstone,  2|  feet  long,  2  feet  broad,  and  1| 
feet  thick,  on  which  is  inscribed  a  cross^  1|  feet  long  and 
1  foot  across  the  shoulders;  this  cross  was  visited  in  per- 
forming the  Murlough  stations  ;  it  is  in  the  farm  of  Daniel 
M'Cormick,  but  is  removed  a  little  from  its  original  position. 
In  Michael  Hunter's  farm  are  the  remains  of  a  cairn  named 
Carnan-na-Calliagh — "  the  witches'  little  earn  " — which  the 
fear  of  the  fairies  has  kept  hitherto  comparatively  intact. 
A  furlong  to  the  west  of  it  is  Oya  yilla  glaisli — "  the  Grave 
of  the  Green  Champion ; "  the  grave  is  35  feet  long,  9  feet 
broad,  and  2  feet  raised  above  the  surface  of  the  field  ;  it  is 
now  overgrown  with  soil,  but  it  is  said  to  be  closely  paved 
on  the  top  with  stones  of  different  sizes.  The  terror 
inspired  by  the  Green  Champion,  and  the  misfortunes  that 
befell  one  Worthington  v/ho  ploughed  too  near  the  grave, 
have  hitherto  saved  the  "  grave  "  more  effectually  than  the 
clauses  of  the  Ancient  Monuments  Preservation  Act.  In 
Michael  Scally's  farm  is  a  cave  in  which  was  discovered' 
a  box  containing  about  50  "  Danes'  Pipes,"  and  a  complete 
set  of  coiners'  tools.     From  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

In  Torr  West  a  beautiful  hill,  named  Greenanmore,  rises 
to  a  great  height  close  to  the  sea  ;  to  the  south  of  it  a 
natural  rock,  situated  at  the  base  of  some  limestone  rocks,  is 
named  Leaha-Dhiarmada-is-Grainne  —"the  bed  of  Diarmad 
Grainne."     See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 


492  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

In  John  McDonnell's  farm  in  Ballyukin*  is  a  Standing 
Stone,  3  feet  high,  3|  feet  broad,  and  1|  feet  thick;  and 
within  9  feet  of  it  is  another  Standing  Stone  in  the  road 
fence.  In  the  sub-division,  locally  called  "  the  Gate,"  is  an 
ancient  well  over  which  there  was  formerly  an  arched  cover;  it 
was  considered  a  Holy  Well,  and  at  it  stations  were  once 
held.  Informants  :  Hugh  Shell,  Peter  Doran,  and  others. — 
Ord.  Surv.  MS.  In  Twenty-Acres  is  a  "  Giant's  Grave  " 
enclosed  by  large  stones,  some  of  which  remain ;  it 
is  in  the  farm  of  John  O'Neill.  In  this  farm  there  is  also  a 
Standing  Stone,  5  feet  long,  3  feet  broad,  and  2  feet  thick  ; 
it  is  now  in  a  sloping  position. — Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

In  Drumaduin,  east  of,  and  adjoining  the  old  road  from 
Ballycastle  to  Cushendall,  are  the  remains  of  an  ancient 
cemetery,  Killyphadrick,  where  unbaptized  children  have 
been  buried  ;  it  occupies  11  yards  by  11  yards  of  ground. 
About  1  7  yards  west  of  it,  and  12  yards  west  of  the  road,  is 
a  cave,  one  of  the  apartments  of  which  is  8|  feet  by  8  in 
the  clear  ;  it  is  roofed  by  one  stone,  that  is  11  feet  by  11  feet, 

*The  first  Earl  of  Antrim,  on  the  3rd  of  July,  1620,  granted  in  fee 
to  Alexaader  Magee,  the  lands  of  Ballygicon  (Ballyukin),  half  of 
Turnaroan,  Ballycregagh,  and  the  quarter  of  Dowcorry.  In  1663 
Alexander  Magee,  grandson  of  the  grantee,  was  paying  £31  15s.  6d. 
for  these  lands  to  the  Marquis  of  Antrim.  Dr.  Reeves,  on  the  12th 
of  January,  1852,  exhibited  to  the  Royal  Irish  Academy  a  deed 
written  on  goat's  skin,  being  a  grant  of  lands  in  the  island  of  Islay, 
made  by  Donald  MacDonueil,  Lord  of  the  Isles,  to  Brian  Vicar  Magee. 
The  document  is  written  in  pure  Irish,  without  any  of  the  peculiari- 
ties that  now  characterize  the  Scotch  dialect,  and  is  dated  1408. 
The  owner  of  this  deed  was  John  Magee,  who  stated  that  his  ances- 
tor, a  cousin  of  Sorley  Boy  MacDonnell,  had  received,  as  a  reward  for 
his  services  at  the  battle  of  Aura,  the  four  quarter-lands  of  Ballyukin 
and  two  adjacent  to  Aura,  which  had  continued  in  his  family  until  his 
grandfather's  time.  Thefollowing  is  a  translation  of  a  part  of  the  docu- 
ment  : — "In  the  name  of  God  ;  Amen.     I,  MacDonnell,  am  granting 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  493 

and  from  1  to  11  feet  thick.  On  a  hill  in  the  same  farm, 
east  of  the  road,  is  a  "  Giant's  Grave,"  12  feet  long  and  from 
2|  to  41  feet  broad,  enclosed  on  each  side  by  3  large  stones  : 
the  monument  is  called  Lahhy-na-fir  ( Leahhadh-an-fhir- 
mor — "  Giant's  Bed.")  Nine  feet  east  of  it  is  a  large  stone. 
In  the  adjoining  field  stood  other  ancient  enclosures,  fences,  a 
fort,  ho,.,  but  all  now  disfigured.  On  the  summit  of  a  lofty- 
hill  stood  a  fort  which  gave  name  to  the  townland ;  it  was 
composed  of  earth  and  stones,  about  25  yards  in  diameter 
and  from  5  to  10  feet  high ;  nearly  the  half  of  it  has  fallen 
down  a  precipice  on  the  north  side.  Contiguous  to  the  fort 
is  a  cave  which  is  now  closed. — Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

In  the  farm  of  James  Kenny;  in  Drumnakeel,  is  an  ancient 
graveyard  14  by  9  yards,  but  human  remains  are  found  at  a 
considerable  distance  from  the  present  unenclosed  cemetery. 
15  yards  north  of  it  is  a  Standing  Stone,  4  feet  high,  2  feet 
9  inches  broad,  and  1  foot  9  inches  thick.  On  the  summit 
of  a  hill  to  the  east  of  the  Ballycastle  and  Cushendall  road, 
in  the  farm  of  Charles  Sharp,  is  an  earthen  fort,  15  yards  in 
diameter  and  5  feet  high.  Near  it  is  a  Standing  Stone,  2 
feet  10  inches  x  3  feet  x  6  inches.      On  the  opposite  side  of 

and  giving  eleven  marks  and  a  half  of  land,  from  myself  and  from  my 
heirs,  to  Brian  Bicaire  Mag  Aodh,  and  to  his  heirs  after  him  for  ever 
and  ever,  for  his  good  service  to  myself  and  to  my  father  before  me  : 
and  this  on  condition  and  covenant  that  he  and  they  shall  give  yearly 
to  me  and  my  heirs  after  me,  four  cows,  fit  to  be  slaughtered,  for  my 
house  ;  and,  in  case  that  these  cows  are  not  to  be  had,  the  above  Brian 
shall  give  to  me  and  to  my  heirs  after  me,  two  marks  and  two  score 
marks.  And  for  the  same  cause  I  am  binding  myself  and  binding 
my  heirs  after  me,  to  the  end  of  existence,  to  maintain  and  defend 
these  lands,  together  with  their  fronts  of  sea  and  land,  for  the  above 
Brian  Bicaire  Mag  Aodh,  for  himself  and  for  his  heirs  after  him,  in 
perpetuity  and  to  the  end  of  existence,  &c.,  &c."  The  lands  recited 
in  the  grant  are  situated  in  the  parish  of  Kildalton,  on  the  south-east  ' 
of  the  island  of  Islay. 


494  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

the  road  is  another  fort  of  earth  and  stones,  27  feet  in  dia- 
meter and  from  4  to  10  feet  high.  In  the  same  farm  is  a 
cave  at  present  closed.  In  1830  Charles  Sharp  removed 
a  mound  in  which  he  found  a  cinerary  urn,  enclosed  in  a 
stone  cist.  In  the  same  townland  there  was  an  ancient 
church  in  the  farm  of  Archibald  Jolly,  the  walls  were  of 
grouted  stone  and  lime,  and  of  great  thickness  ;  it  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  the  first  Protestant  church  in  the  parisli , 
but  it  is  probably  of  a  much  more  ancient  date.  See  Ord. 
Surv.  MS. 

The  Cairn  of  Carneighaneigh  occupies  the  summit  of  the 
mountain  in  Bally  patrick,  which  it  gives  name  to,  and  is 
1,036  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  cairn  was  about 
13  yards  in  dianaeter,  and  was  composed  of  about  one 
hundred  loads  of  stones  of  various  sizes,  which  must  have 
been  carried  from  a  great  distance,  as  there  was  no  quarry 
nor  land-stones  near  the  place  :  the  cairn  is  now  greatly 
injured.  Some  letters  and  marks  are  cut  on  a  small  rock  on 
the  north-east  of  the  hill  ;  they  are  of  no  antiquit)'-  though 
they  are  visited  by  many.  In  Glenmakeeran,  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  John  Stuart's  house,  are  the  ruins 
of  a  "  Giant's  Grave,"  called  Guishla  ;  it  is  30  feet  long  and 
9  feet  broad,  divided  into  4  divisions,  3  of  which  are  each  7 
feet  long  and  the  fourth  is  5  feet ;  it  is  bounded  and  divided 
by  stones  of  large  size  sunk  on  their  ends  in  the  earth.  In 
this  townland  are  many  foundations  of  ancient  structures 
called  "  Danes'  Houses."  A  large  glass  bead,  "  beautifully 
striped,"  was  found  in  the  farm  o'  Daniel  M'Kinley ;  it  was 
given  to  Dr.  McDonnell  of  Belfast.  At  the  south-east  end 
of  this  mountain,  close  to  Glenmakeeran  river,  are  the  ruins 
of  a  great  stone  monument ;  it  stood  24  by  4  yards  from  out 
to  out.     The  principal  erections,  at  least  in  late  days,  were 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  495 

at  the  ends  ;  that  at  the  south  east  end  was  18  feet  long  and 
5  feet  wide  in  the  interior,  enclosed  by  large  stones,  standing 
from  2  to  5  feet  high  ;  that  at  the  north-east  end  is  1 2  feet 
long,  and  from  3  to  5  feet  wide  in  the  interior,  and  was 
divided  into  two  comjoartments.  One  of  the  covering  stones 
of  the  north-east  end  is  lying  on  the  ground,  and  measures  5 
feet  long,  3  feet  broad,  and  Ih  feet  thick.  It  would  appear 
that  the  monument  was  once  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  small 
standing  stones.     See   Orel.  Surv.  MS. 

On  Ballyveenaght  mountain,  and  near  a  small  lake,  is  a 
"  Griant's  Grave,"  consisting  of  a  stone  about  6  feet  long,  4 
feet  8  inches  broad,  and  2  feet  thick,  supported  on  a  few 
small  supporting  stones  ;  one  end  of  the  stone  is  raised  about 
3  feet  above  the  surface ;  the  space  between  the  supporters 
is  about  8  by  2  feet.  Here  stood  some  other  stone  monu- 
ment, now  destroyed ;  it  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of 
the  old  Ballycastle  and  Cushendun  road,  and  in  the  farm  of 
Henry  Butler,  In  this  farm,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Cushen- 
dall  road,  and  near  to  it,  are  the  ruins  of  a  similar  monument, 
called  Cloughayianca,  which  is  locally  translated — "  the 
recluse's  stone."  The  covering  stone  is  now  split  and  removed 
from  its  original  position ;  it  was  7 J  feet  long,  6  feet  broad, 
and  2  feet  thick  ;  it  was  formerly  supported  on  a  number  of 
stones,  three  of  which  yet  remain ;  one  of  them  is  5  feet 
high,  4 J  feet  broad,  and  1|-  feet  thick;  the  two  others  are 
not  so  large.  This  monument  was  surrounded  by  a  cairn  of 
stones  most  of  which  have  been  carted  away.  In  the  part 
of  the  mountain  farmed  by  William  Butler,  and  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  east  of  the  new  road  from  Ballycastle 
to  Cushendall,  is  a  Standing  Stone,  6  feet  high,  4  feet  broad, 
and  1|  feet  thick,  which  is  called  Cloughacooa — "stone  of 
lamentation."     About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  that  stone 


496  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

are  two  cromleachs,  drawings  of  which  are  given  by  Mr.  Gray 

in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Belfast  Naturalists''  Field  Club. 

These    monuments  are    also    locally  named  Cloughananca. 

The  southern  cromleach  consists  of  a  cap-stone  of  a  rather 

irregular  shape,  9  feet  long,  7|  feet  wide,  and  averaging  2| 

feet  in   thickness,   supported  on  4  stones,    that  under  the 

west  end  is  6|  feet  high,  4|  feet  broad,  and  2  feet  thick, 

the  others  are  not  so  large  ;  the  chamber  under  the  cap-stone 

is  about  5  feet  by  3|  feet.       The  second  cromleach   stands 

about  80  yards  to  the  north  of  the  first ;  the  cap-stone,  a 

quadrangular  block  measuring  13  feet  4  inches  Tjy  11  feet, 

and  from  2 J  to  1|  feet  thick,  is  supported  by  a  number  of 

stones  which  raise  it  about  2  J  feet  above  the  surface.     These 

monuments  are  nearly  overgrown  with  peat.      Near  the  old 

road  from  Ballycastle  to  Cushendall,  on  the  summit  of  a  lofty 

round  hill  in  Pat  Butler's  farm,  are  the  ruins  of  an  oval  fort, 

23  by  16  yards  on  the  top^and  faced  on  the  sides  with  stones 

of  a  large  size ;  there  was  a  cave  in  the  interior  of  the  fort 

but   it  is   now   destroyed.       There    were  some  earth-works 

round  the  top  of  the  hill,  outside  the  oval  fort.       Near  this, 

on    the    north  side,   is   the   valley   in   which   the    Catholics 

assembled  for  Mass  during  times  of  persecution.       See  Orel. 

Sicrv.  MS. 

CHURCHES. 

Mass  was  celebrated  during  times  of  persecution  in  various 
places  through  the  parish,  some  of  which  are  still  remembered 
by  popular  tradition.  There  is  a  secluded  valley  in  Bally- 
vennaght,  east  of  the  old  road  from  Ballycastle  to  Cushen- 
dall, where  a  natural  table-rock  sheltei'ed  by  projecting 
rocks,  served  for  an  altar.  Liganiffrin,  a  small  hollow  at 
present  in  the  farm  of  Patrick  M'Cambridge,  in  Drumadoon, 
continued  to  be  used  for  the  celebration  of  Mass  even  by 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  497 

Father  Brennan.  A  Mass-station  for  the  south-west  of  the 
parish  was  in  a  field  which  at  present  belongs  to  a  farmer 
named  M'Cahan,  in  the  townland  of  Diincarbit,  and  another 
for  the  north-east  was  in  Murlough,  where  a  natural  rock,  a 
little  to  the  west  of  the  ancient  church,  served  for  an  altar. 
In  Father  Brennan's  time  Mass  was  celebrated  in  the  shelter 
of  a  bush,  a  little  down  the  lane  which  branches  off  the  road 
nearly  opposite  the  present  church,  in  the  townland  of 
Barnisb.  The  church  was  erected  in  the  commencement 
of  the  present  century  by  Father  Brennan,  but  it 
was  altered  and  enlarged,  in  1833,  by  Father  Walsh, 
who  added  a  nave  and  formed  the  old  building  into 
transepts.  The  altar  was  erected  by  Father  Kearney.  The 
graveyard  was  opened  for  interments  in  1808. 

PAHISH  PRIESTS. 

The  earliest  Parish  Priest  since  the  change  in  the  religion 
of  the  state,  of  whom  we  have  any  record,  is  Father  Bryan 
O'Mulderg,  who  under  the  name  0' Mulderagh,  is  regis- 
tered in  1704  "  Popish  Priest "  of  Culfeightrin  and  the 
Grange  of  Inispollan.  He  was  ordained  in  the  county  of 
Longford  in  1666,  by  Dr.  Patrick  Plunkett,  Bishop  of 
Ardagh.  He  was  62  years  of  age  in  1704,  and 
was  then  residing  in  "Grange"  (of  Inispollan).  His 
bailsmen  at  the  registration  were  James  Allison,  of 
Sharvogh,  Yeoman,  and  John  Raford,  of  Antrim, 
Merchant,  who  each  bailed  him  in  =£50.  He  is 
returned,  under  the  name  Bernard  O'Mulderty,  as  a 
priest  of  the  Diocese  of  Connor,  in  the  unpublished  list 
annexed  to  the  report  on  Down  and  Connor  made  to  Rome 
in  1670,  by  the  Primate  Dr.  Plunket.  lb  is  said  that  he 
was  a  brother  of  Patrick  O'Mulderg,  who  was  Vicar-General 

2  G 


498  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

of  Down  and  Connor.^'  The  date  of  Father  O'Mulderg's 
death  is  not  known. 

Tradition  asserts  that  the  succeeding  Parish  Priest  was 
Patrick  M' Auley ;  and  that  his  successor  was  a  Father 
M'Garry,  a  native  of  some  part  of  the  county  of  Down,  who 
died  very  old  and  was  interred  in  Bunamargy  on  the  29th 
of  September.  1747. 

Father  Michael  M'Mullan  succeeded  Father  M'Garry. 
He  was  a  native  of  the  parish  and,  according  to  tradition,  a 
nephew  of  the  O'Muldergs,  and  a  relative  of  Dr.  Stewart, 
Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor.  He  entered  the  Order  of  St. 
Francis,  Strictioris  Ohservantice,  and  at  a  Chapter  of  the 
Order,  held  on  the  12th  of  August,  1745,  he  was  appointed 
Guardian  of  Bunamargy.  It  is  likely  that  this  was  more 
than  a  mere  titular  appointment,  and  that  he  was  actually 
officiating  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ruined  monastery.  There  is 
at  present  lying  before  me  a  piece  of  paper,  soiled  and 
crumpled,  after  being  for  a  century  among  his  relatives  in 
Caiy.  It  is  a  dispensation,  granted  February  21st,  1749,  by 
Father  Francis  French,  the  Provincial  of  the  Order  in 
Ireland,  permitting  Father  M'Mullan  to  enter  the  mission  of 
Down  and  Connor.  It  was  a  preliminary  to  his  formal 
appointment  to  the  parish  of  Culfeightrin  : — 

*  There  is  a  tradition  preserved  among  persons  said  to  be  his 
relatives,  that  a  priest  named  Patrick  Carr  was  murdered  some  time 
about  the  period  of  the  Revolution,  while  he  was  saying  Mass  at 
Altavally,  and  that  his  remains  were  interred  in  Bunnamargy.  The 
tradition  furthermore  asserts  that  his  family — the  Carrs — were 
possessed  of  extensive  lands  in  the  Braid.  There  is  no  record  that 
the  Carrs  had  lands  in  the  Braid,  but  there  were  O'Muldergs  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Braid.  (See  Vol.  III.  p.  243.)  It  is  remarkable  that 
Father  O'Mulderg  was  bailed  by  people  belonging  to  the  town  or 
neighbourhood  of  Antrim.  The  O'Muldergs  now  translate  their  name 
into  Read. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULPEIGHTRIN.  499 

Frater  Franciscus  French  Ordinis  Strictioris  Observantitt.  S. 
Theol.  Lector  Emeritus,  necnoii  almse  Provincise  Hibernice  Minister 
Pro V.  lis  et  Servus  Dilecto  nobis  in  Christo  P.  Fr.  Michael  M'Mullan 
dicti  Ordinis  ac  Provinciae  Alumno  Salutem. 

Cum  ob  zelum  domus  Dei  et  desiderium  indefatigabilis  assiduitatis 
aclaboris  in  vinea  Domini  curam  animarum  assumere  cogaris — et  hoc 
in  diocesi  Connorensi — et  ad  id  uostram  liceutiam  ac  beuedictionem 
cum  omni  qua  par  est  humilitate  supplicaveris.  Hinc  tenore 
prffisentium  cum  annexe  salutaris  obedientice  merito  facultatem  tibi 
facimus  et  impertimus  quatenus  dictum  onus  aggrediaris  ;  plurimum 
in  Domino  confidentes  quod  tanquam  verus  Christi  minister 
regimen  illud  animarum  adimpleveris.  Volo  in  Christo  Jesu  ut  nostri 
in  tuis  precibus  ac  sacrificiis  memor  sis. 

Datum  in  loco  nostri  refugii  hac  die  21st  Febii.anno  Domini  1748-9 
sub  manu  nostra  officiique  nostri  sigillo  minori 

Loco  SigilU  FR.  ERAS.  FRENCH 

Minister  Pkovincialis. 

There  was,  it  appears  from  the  Chapter-Acts,  another 
Franciscan  named  Michael  M'Mullan,  who  was  appointed 
Guardian  of  Carrickfergus,  at  the  Chapter  held  on  tlie  18th 
of  August,  1760,  and  was  continued  in  that  held  on  the  19th 
of  August,  1761.  He  died  between  August,  1766,  and 
November,  1767.  Dr.  Stewart,  on  the  2nd  of  May,  1749, 
petitioned  the  Holy  See  to  appoint  Father  John  M'Mullan, 
a  Franciscan,  as  his  coadjutor — cum  jure  successionis. 
Before,  however,  that  postulation  was  acceded  to.  Dr. 
Stewart  died  and  the  clergy  postulated  for  Dr.  O'Dorau, 
who  was  appointed  to  the  see.  Father  John  M'Mullan 
was  probably  a  relative  of  Father  Michael  M'Mullan, 
The  body  of  Dr.  Stewart  remained  one  night,  in  the  house 
of  Father  M'Mullan,  on  its  way  for  interment  in  Buna- 
margy. — (See  p.  476.) 

Father  M'Mullan,  after  an  incumbency  of  more  than 
forty  years,  died  in  1788  or  1789,  and  was  interred  in  the 
ruined  convent  of  his   order  in   Bunamargy.     Towards  the 


500  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

end  of  bis  life  be  was  assisted  by  a  curate  named  MacNeill, 
■wbo  is  said  to  bave  been  a  friar.  Tbis  unfortunate  clergy- 
man, having  been  disappointed  in  bis  expectation  to  succeed 
Father  M'Mullan,  resisted  his  successor  and  was  conse- 
quently suspended ;  be  died  in  that  state  many  years 
afterwards  and  was  interred  in  Bunamargy, 

The  Rev.  Patrick  Brennan  was  appointed  in  1789.  He 
was  a  native  of  Grortricby,  in  the  parish  of  Easbarkin,  and  a 
nephew  of  the  Rev.  Arthur  Brennan,  Parish  Priest  of  that 
])arish.  He  officiated  as  curate  in  Culfeigbtrin  and  in 
Rasharkin,  and  afterwards  studied  in  the  Irish  College  in 
Paris.  On  the  trial  (Mrs.  Madeline)  O'Hara,  v  (Henry 
Hutchison  Hamilton)  O'Hara,  tried  in  Carrickfergus  in 
July,  1825  (see  Yol.  Ill,  p.  428),  he  swore  that  he  was 
educated  partly  in  Ireland  and  partly  in  France ;  that  be 
studied  in  France  for  five  years,  from  1784  till  1789  (states 
that  he  dined  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O'Hara  in  Paris,  1789.) 
Father  Brennan  erected  the  parish  church  of  Culfeigbtrin. 
He  died  on  the  last  Tuesday  of  November,  1828,  and  was 
interred  along  the  southern  sidewall  of  bis  church,  but  his 
grave  in  now  covered  by  the  nave  which  was  erected  by 
bis  successor. 

Father  Luke  Walsh  succeeded  on  the  death  of  Father 
Brennan.  He  was  a  native  of  Kilwarlin,  in  the  Catholic 
parish  of  Lisburn;  was  ordained  in  Downpatrick,  in  Advent, 
1813,  by  Dr.  MacMullan;  studied  in  the  College  of 
Kilkenny ;  was  curate  in  Bailee,  when  he  was  directed  by 
Dr.  Crolly  to  take  charge  of  Maghera,  to  which  be  removed 
on  the  20th  of  May,  1827.  Father  Walsh  was  peculiarly 
suited  for  such  a  mission.  Lord  Roden  had  j  ust  then  intro- 
duced to  the  parish  what  was  called  the  *'  Bread  and  Butter 
Reformation."    The  Rev.  A.  W.  M'Creigbt,  his  mother  Mrs. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  501 

M'Creight,  of  Newcastle,  his  sister  Mrs.  M-Keown,  of 
Tullymore,  and  a  number  of  "  Converted  Papists"  employed 
from  distant  portions  of  the  kingdom  at  a  salary  of  o£20  per 
annum,  were  actively  engaged  in  destroying  the  faith  of  the 
most  ignorant  and  the  most  poverty-stricken  of  the  parish- 
ioners— (see  Vol,  I.  p.  60.)  A  few  affidavits  made  by  the 
peojile,  who  had  been  deceived,  exposing  the  modes  by  which 
they  had  been  duped,  completely  exploded  the  New  Reform, 
ation,  and  its  very  authors  became  ashamed  of  the 
undertaking.  Father  Walsh  was  appointed  in  1829  to 
Culfeightrin  where  similar  work  awaited  him.  The  Rev, 
Mr.  Bellis,  Secretary  of  the  Home  Mission,  a  committee  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Iiish  Presbyterans,  employed 
a  number  of  persons  to  teach  Irish  in  the  districts  of  the 
County  of  Antrim,  in  which  that  language  was  spoken, 
extending  from  Glenarm  to  Kinban,  At  first  the  purport 
of  the  Irish  schools  was  not  understood,  and  many  flocked  to 
them  with  the  desire  of  being  able  to  read  and  speak 
grammatically  the  ancient  language  of  their  fathers.  Soon, 
Iiowever,  it  was  discovered  that  the  schools  were  intended  to 
pervert  them  from  their  faith,  and  at  once  both  teachers  and 
pupils  with  few  exceptions  abandoned  the  schools.  The  few 
were  unprincipled  persons,  who,  for  the  small  payments 
made  by  the  Home  Mission,  were  prepared  to  barter  their 
faith  and  to  co-operate  with  the  secretaries  in  deceiving  the 
Presbyterian  people  that  willingly  contributed  such  large 
sums  for  "  the  conversion  of  the  Irish."  Looking  back  after 
the  lapse  of  more  than  forty  years  when  the  gigantic  swindle 
has  been  long  since  laid  in  the  tomb,  it  is  difficult  to  suppose 
that  the  chief  agentSj  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Allen,  Bellis,  and 
Dr.  Edgar,  men  of  such  abilities,  %?ere  merely  deceived  by 
the  frauds  of  the  teachers.      Father  Luke  Walsh  and  Father 


502  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

Fitzsimons,  P.P.,  Cushendall,  most  exerted  themselves  to 
unmask  the  Home  Mission.  The  following  documents 
testify  to  what  a  state  of  hypocrisy  and  dishonesty  the  pay 
of  that  society  reduced  the  wretched  teachers  who  were 
its  victims  : — 

(1)  "We,  the  undersigned,  who  were  receiving  money  from  the 
Synod  of  Ulster,  under  the  plea  of  teaching  the  Irish  language,  do 
hereby  declare  that  we  have  not  taught  any  for  the  last  four  years  ; 
neither  has  there  been  any  school  in  this  parish  (which  comprises 
that  portion  of  the  county  Antrim  denominated  the  Glens)  during  that 
period ;  nor,  as  a  matter  of  course,  has  any  school  under  us  been 
inspected,  during  that  time,  by  any  officer  belonging  to  the  Synod  ; 
and  we  considered  it  no  harm  to  take  the  money  which  the  Synod 
gave  us  for  doing  nothing. 

"Patrick  Macaulay. 
"Patrick  Loughran. 
"Patrick  Quin. 
''June  20,  1842."  "John  M'Keesick, 

(2)  "Whereas,  a  document  appeared  in  the  Belfast  Vindicator, 
signed  by  Patrick  Macaulay,  Patrick  Loughran,  Patrick  Quin,  and  John 
M'Keesick,  that  they  had  received  money  from  the  Synod  of  Ulster, 
under  the  plea  of  teaching  the  Irish  language,  but  had  not  taught 
any  for  these  last  four  years  ;  and  that  no  school  of  theirs  had  been 
inspecterl,  during  that  time,  by  any  officer  belonging  to  the  Synod — 
I,  Francis  Brennan,  inspector  of  Irish  schools  under  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  do  affirm  and  testify  that  I  did 
inspect  an  Irish  school  for  Patrick  Macaulay,  of  Gruige,  in  his  own 
barn,  on  the  28th  day  of  January  last,  where  twenty-one  scholars 
were  assembled,  and  who  read  in  Irish  in  the  second  and  third  chap- 
ters of  Matthew's  Gospel  ;  that  I  also  did  inspect  an  Irish  school  for 
Patrick  Loughran,  Tievanoon,  on  the  2nd  of  February  last,  and  who, 
not  having  known  of  my  coming,  brought  in  from  the  fields  five  of 
his  scholars  to  read  for  me,  which  they  did  in  John's  Gospel  ;  and 
that,  on  the  3rd  of  February  last,  I  did  inspect  for  Patrick  Quin,  of 
Carnamurphy,  a  school  of  Irish  scholars,  and  saw  twenty-six,  of  whom 
twelve  read,  and  were  examined  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  Romans  ; 
and  that,  on  the  5th  of  February,  I  did  examine  an  Irish  school  for 
John  M'Keesick,  of  Bedbray,  and  saw  twenty-four  Irish  scholars, 
ten  of  whom  read  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  John's  Gospel ;  and  two  of 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  503 

them  were  such  good  readers,  that  they  applied  to  mc  to  have  thera 
appointed  as  teachers.     In  testimony  of  the  above,  1  do  hereby  affix 
my  name,  in  the  presence  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Lyle,  of  Ballycastle. 
"  Ballycastle,  July  16,  1842."  "  Francis  Breknan. 

(3)  "  We,  the  undersigned,  teachers  of  the  Irish  language  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Cushendall,  in  the  Glens  of  Antrim,  do  hereby 
certify,  in  presence  of  witness,  that  we  have  been,  and  are  at  present 
employed,  when  opportunity  serves,  in  teaching  our  neighbours  and 
their  children  to  read  the  Scriptures  in  our  native  language  ;  and  we 
also  do  declare,  that  our  schools  have  been  regularly  visited  by  the 
local  inspector  each  quarter,  who  has  inspected  and  examined  a 
certain  number  of  scholars  in  our  schools  under  our  instruction,  for 
which  we  receive  a  gratuity  from  the  Assembly's  Home  Mission,  after 
they  learn  from  their  inspector  that  we  are  teaching.— Given  under 
our  hands,  this  18th  day  of  July,  1842. 

"Patrick  Loughran-. 

"Patrick  Quin. 

"  Patrick  Macaulay, 

"John  M'Keesick. 
"Witness  present— Thomas  Murphy." 

(4)  "  We,  the  undersigned,  having  been  lately  called  upon  by  Fran- 
cis Brennan,  inspector  of  Irish  schools,  who  stated  to  us  that,  unless  we 
sfgned  a  document  which  he  presented  to  us,  he  would  be  deprived 
of  his  salary  ;  and  having  implored  us  to  do  so,  for  pity's  sake,  and 
having  pledged  himself  not  to  make  any  public  use  of  it,  we  attached 
our  names  to  it,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  serving  him.  We  now  sol- 
emnly declare  that  it  is  a  falsehood  ;  and  we  humbly  beg  God's 
pardon  for  having  lent  our  names  to  an  imposture,  and  for  having  so 
long  continued  in  connexion  with  a  system  which  was  a  deception 
from  the  beginning,  and  carried  on  knowingly  for  the  purpose  of 
getting  money  from  the  public  ;  and  we  further  declare  that  Francis 
Brennan  never  inspected  any  Irish  Schools  under  us. 

"Patrick  Macaulay. 
"Patrick  Loughran. 
"John  M'Keesick. 
"Patrick  Quin. 
(  Edmund  O'Neill. 
"  Witnesses  present,  J  Jas.  M 'Court,  Surgeon. 

(  Daniel  M'Calister. 
"July  24,  1842." 


504  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

"  Cusliendall,  Aug.  2,  1841. 

(5)  "Rev.  Sir, — Meeting  with  you  at  Dr.  Birt's,  in  Ballycastle, 
and  John  Dunkan  being  with  me,  you  requested  me  to  show  you  the 
return  of  Irish  teachers,  which  I  refused  at  that  time,  but  comply 
with  your  desires  now,  and  also  to  state  the  candid  truth.  In  the 
first  place,  there  was  George  M'Cormick  and  William  Brown,  of 
Glenshesk,  and  Daniel  M'Glarry  and  Hugh  Sheal,  of  Ballyakan, 
gave  up  at  the  time  the  Bishop  said  against  it ;  but  I  will  give  you 
their  names  who  continue  to  the  present  time,  and  have  their  returns 
for  the  next  meeting,  which  will  be  in  the  next  month.  I  will  begin 
with  these  Glens  first — Patrick  M'Caulay,  Pat.  Quin,  Ann  Harvey 
aud  sister,  old  Lughry  and  son."  [After  giving  me  the  names  of  the 
teachers  in  this  district,  and  also  in  Culfeightrin,  he  goes  on  to  say] — 
"  There  is  the  whole  group  to  you.  Thei-e  is  another  thing  that  I 
thought  it  but  justice  to  show  you — the  injustice  of  the  case  of  Hugh 
Sheals,  whom  you  put  out  of  his  school,  and  put  young  Lughry  in 
his  place.  At  the  time  the  above  four  gave  up  (namely,  Sheals, 
M'Cormick,  M'Glarry,  and  Brown),  I  was  obliged  to  make  false 
reports  of  their  schools  to  the  directors,  as  it  was  altogether  falsehood 
from  beginning  to  end,  as  I  thought  the  more  we  could  take  off  them  the 
better,  as  St.  Paid  said  he  robbed  other  sects  to  estabr^.h  his  oivn.  I 
went  to  Mr.  Lisle,  and  spoke  of  the  case  of  Hugh  Sheals  to  him,  when 
he  acknowledged  that  it  was  not  Hugh  Sheals,  but  Pat  Sheals  that 
received  the  money.  I  could  certify  that  the  assertion  is  unfounded, 
which  any  of  the  teachers  could  clear  up,  if  they  had  the  least  truth 
in  them.  You  may  either  make  this  public  or  private,  as  you  may 
think  proper,  as  there  is  nothing  in  it  but  the  truth.  The  reason 
why  Lisle  was  so  much  against  me  was,  because  my  daughter  had 
the  priest  of  Ballycastle,  which  could  be  showed  plain.  I  conclude 
this  until  future  time,  and  then  I  will  let  you  know  more,  if  any  of 
these  pi'etends  this  not  to  be  the  candid  truth, — Yours  truly, 

"  Hugh  M'Donnell,  Irish  Inspector. 
"  To  the  Rev.  Luke  Walsh,  near  Ballycastle,'" 

(6)  "  We,  the  undersigned,  Irish  teachers  of  the  parish  of  Culfeight- 
rin, near  Ballycastle,  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  being  fully  convinced 
and  impressed  with  a  just  sense  of  the  criminality  of  oar  conduct 
before  God,  and  heartily  sorry  for  the  scandal  we  have  given  to  the 
church,  do  feel  it  our  duty  to  come  forward  and  voluntai'ily  declare, 
that  we  have  received  money  from  the  agents  of  the  Synod  of  Ulster 
for  teaching  the  Irish  tongue,  although,  for  the  last  twelve  months, 
we  had  no  schools  in  existence,  nor  do  we  know  of  any  in  the  parish  ; 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  505 

and  we  further  declare,  that  it  was  our  poverty,  and  the  manner  in 
which  it  was  pressed  upon  us,  caused  us  to  receive  it,  as  we  were  told 
that  all  the  agents  wanted  was  our  names.  We,  moreover,  express 
our  willingness  to  give  any  satisfaction,  and  make  any  reparation 
which  the  bishop  of  our  church  may  think  proper  to  prescribe. 
"  Carey  Chapel,  Aug.  9,  J 842. 

"  Patrick  Sheals,  Glenshesk. 
"  Hugh  Sheals,  Uallyucan. 
"  Fkancis  M'Kendky,  Ballypatrick. 
"  Robert  M 'Michael,  Bally veradagh. 
"  Rose  Dunkan,  Escart. 
"  Mary  M'Donnell,  Ballyucan, 
"  Signed  in  presence  of 

Luke  Walsh,  P.P.       Patrick  Staekey,  C.C." 

(7)  "On  the  day  the  above  party  signed  this  document,  they  came 
forward  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation,  in  the  chapel,  asked 
God's  forgiveness  for  the  evil  they  had  done,  and  promised,  if  ever 
they  would  be  aole,  to  make  restitution  to  the  poor  for  the  money 
they  had  received  ;  and  not  only  so,  but  they,  and  the  others  who 
were  not  present  on  that  occasion,  on  the  next  Sunday,  gave  in  the 
sums  they  had  received,  of  which  the  following  are  the  items  : — 

Archibald  M'Neill  (not  present) £10     0 

EoseDunkan 1   10     0 

Mary  M'Donnell 12     9 

James  Clark  (not  present) 3     0     0 

Francis  M'Kendry o     0     0 

Eobert  M'Michael 15     0 

John  M'Intosh  (not  present)  2  15     0 

Patrick  Sheals 2     3     6 

Those  marked  here  (not  present)  were  not  in  the  chapel  on  the 
first  Sunday  ;  but  they  subsequently  came  in,  and  gave  up  the  sums 
they  had  received,  giving  public  satisfaction  for  the  scandal  they  had 
given,  and  promisingto  restore  the  money,  as  the  others,  to  the  poor." — 
if'Ae  Home  Mission  Unmasked. 

(8)  "  Key.  Sir,  In  answer  to  your  query,  whether  I  know  of  any 
Irish  schools  in  this  parish,  in  connexion  with  the  Synod  of  Ulster, 
1  answer  distinctly,  that  I  do  not  know  of  any,  nor  have  there  been 
any  for  the  last  two  years,  as  all  the  teachers  gave  them  up. 

"  Yours,  Rev.  Sir,  most  truly, 
"KiUinvale,  Aug.  5,  1842.  William  Killix,  P.P.,  Armoy. 

"To  the  Rev.  L,  Walih." 


506  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

(9)  "Rev.  Sir, — I  have  just  now  received  your  note  respecting  the 
Irish  schools,  and  assure  you  there  are  not,  at  present,  in  existence, 
any  such  establishments  in  this  parish,  to  my  knowledge,  nor  have 
there  been  since  the  time  the  bishop  was  here  in  August,  1840.  If 
there  had,  I  must  have  heard  of  them. 

"  I  am,  Eev.  Sir,  yours  faithfully, 
"  Bally  castle,  Aug.  5,  184-2.  George  Dempsey,  P.P. 

"  To  the  Rev.  Luke  Walsh,  P.P." 

"  Gknarni,  9th  August,  1842. 

(10)  *'  We,  the  undersigned,  inhabitants  of  the  town  and  parish  of 
Glenarm,  do  hereby  publicly  declare,  that  no  Irish  school  established 
by  the  Synod  of  Ulster  ever  was  in  existence  in  any  part  of  this 
parish ;  and  we  moreover  assert,  that  no  such  school  could  be  in 
operation  without  our  knowledge.  We  also  beg  leave  to  say,  that 
any  allusion  to  our  parish  or  neighbourhood,  implying  the  possibility 
of  such  schools,  was,  in  our  opinion,  an  unwarranted  liberty  with  our 
locality,  insulting  to  our  feelings,  and  disgraceful  to  the  person  who 
made  it,  as  it  is  destitute  of  any  foundation  in  truth. 

"Charles  M'Attley,  Surgeon. 

"  FiNTAN  DooLAN,  Teacher  of  Feystone  N.S. 

"William  Gibson,  Deerpark. 

"Charles  Gibson,  Gowkstown. 

"James  Campbell,  Teacher  of  Mulloughsandal  N.S. 

"  Patrick  Darragh,  Teacher  of  Harp-hall  N.S." 

(11)  "Rev.  Sir. — Having  heard  of  different  letters,  said  to  have  been 
written  by  me  to  you,  on  the  subject  of  Irish  schools,  to  these  reports 
I  gave  no  credit,  until  I  saw,  in  the  Vindicator  newspaper  of  the  ,3rd 
August,  one  in  which  you  have  made  me  say  words  that  answered 
your  own  purpose,  to  injure  a  good  cause,  and  stigmatise  my  own 
character.  I  now,  Sir,  unhesitatingly  disavow  having  ever  written 
to  you  one  line  on  this  subject,  or  any  other  whatsoever. 

"  Your  humble  servant. 
"Belfast,  nth  Aug.,  1842.  Hugh  M'Donnell, 

"To  the  Rev.  L.  Walsh,  P.P.,  Culfeightrin." 

(12)  "  We,  the  undersigned  Irish  teachers,  now  in  connexion  with 
the  General  Assembly's  Home  Mission,  having  read,  in  the  Vindicator 
of  the  10th  instant,  a  letter  signed  'Luke  Walsh,  P.P.,'  in  which  he 
has  falsely  and  unjustly  taken  the  liberty  of  stating  to  the  public 
that  we  have  promised  to  return  the  poor  the  several  sums  he  sets 
forth  to  public  view,  we  do  hereby  certify  upon  oath  before  two  of 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTKIN.  507 

Her  Majesty's  Justices  of  the  Peace,  that  we  have  never  piomised  to 
do  so,  nor  never  have  returned  any  of  the  sums  of  which  he  states  in 
his  letter  of  the  10th. 

"Sworn  before  us  this  15th  day  of  August,  1842. 

"J.  M'Neile. 
"  Adam  Cuppage. 
"John  M'Intosh,  Bally vardagh.  \ 

"  Robert  M 'Michael,  Ballyvardagh.       > 
"  Eose  Duncan,  Escart."  ) 

(13)  "  County  of  Antrim,  1  Whereas,    an  affidavit  has    appeared  in 

'    '^Q  "^^"^'^-  J  the  Banner  newspaper,  of  Belfast,  of  the 

30th  of  August,  sworn  by  John  M'Intosh,  Robert  M 'Michael,  and  Rose 
Duncan,  before  John  M'iSTeale  and  Adam  Cuppage,  Esqrs.,  in  which 
they  deny,  upon  oath,  that  they  either  gave  back,  or  promised  to  give 
back,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor,  the  money  which  they  do  not  deny 
they  took  tor  doing  nothing,  from  the  agents  of  the  Synod  of  Ulster : 
now  we,  the  undersigned,  formerly  Irish  teachers  under  the  Synod, 
do  affirm,  on  oath,  that  we  were  present  in  the  sacristy  or  session- 
house  attached  to  the  chapel  of  Carey,  when  the  said  Robert 
M 'Michael,  John  M'Intosh,  and  Rose  Duncan  gave  in  the  account  of 
the  respective  sums  attached  to  their  names,  as  published  in  the 
Vindicator  newspaper  of  the  10th  August,  to  the  Rev.  Luke  Walsh, 
and  which  newspaper  we  have  read  ;  and  that  they  did  promise, 
should  ever  they  be  able,  to  give  the  money  to  the  pooi,  which  was 
one  of  the  conditions  on  which  Mr.  Walsh  consented  to  receive  us 
and  them  to  the  sacraments. 

"  Patrick  Sheals, 
"  Francis  M'Kendry. 
'=  Mary  M'Donnel. 
"Sworn  before  me,  at  Ballycastle,  the  6th  of  September,  1842. 

"John  M'Neale." 

(14)  "  County  of  Antrim,  |  Whereas,  an  affidavit  has  appeared  in  the 

"^^  ^^^'^-  J  5a?i?ie?-newspaper,ofBelfast,swornby  John 

M'Intosh,  Robert  M 'Michael,  and  Ptose  Duncan,  in  which  it  is  denied 
that  they  either  gave  in  the  sum  to  the  Rev.  Luke  Walsh  or  promised 
to  give,  if  they  should  be  able,  the  amount  of  the  several  sums 
attached  to  their  names,  as  published  by  the  Rev.  Luke  Walsh,  in 
the  Vindicator  newspaper  of  the  10th  of  August  :  now  I,  Rose 
Duncan,  one  of  those  mentioned  as  signing  this  affidavit,  do  declare, 
on  my  oath,  '  that  I  never  did  deny  that  I  promised  to  give,  if  ever 


508  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

I  should  be  able,  to  the  poor,  the  money,  the  sum  of  which  is  attached 
to  my  name,  and  which  I  then  admitted,  and  now  admit,  1  took  for 
doing  nothing,  in  the  line  of  teaching  Irish,  from  the  Inspector  of 
Schools  for  the  Synod  of  Ulster  ;  and  that  some  person  must  have 
falsified  the  affidavit  after  it  was  sworn,  as  all  I  meant  to  say  was, 
that  I  had  not,  as  yet,  actually  given  the  money.  I  also  think  it 
necessary  to  add,  that  I  taught  no  school  under  the  Synod  of  Ulster 
for  the  last  three  years  ;  and  at  the  last  meeting  in  Ballymoney,  I 
was  paid  sixteen  shillings,  although  Brennan,  the  Inspector,  knew  I 
had  no  school.' 

"  Rose  Duncan, 
"  Sworn  before  me,  this  12th  Sept.,  1842. 

"John  M'Nbale." 

Rev.  John  Fitzsimons,  P.P.,  Cushendall,  in  a  letter  to 
Rev.  Mr.  Bellis,  which  was  published  in  the  Vindicator, 
gives  the  names  and  residences  of  some  individuals  in  his 
parish  who  were  receiving  the  money  of  the  Home  Mission 
as  teachers,  yet  did  nob  teach,  nor  had  they  schools  ;  and 
Father  Walsh,  in  the  Home  Mission  Unmasked,  gives  the 
following  list : — 

(15)  Patrick  Brown,  Thorn,  small  farmer,  no  school. 

John  M'MuUan,  Grenans,  Glenshesk,      labourer,  do. 

James  M'Cauley,     do.  do.  labourer,  do. 

Wm.  Hentin,  Duncarbut,         do.  labourer,  do. 

John  Stewart,  Rurghmore,       do.  labourer,  do. 

John  Brown,     do.,  a  boy  12  years  of  age,  servant,  do. 

Alex.  M 'Mullen,  Duncarbut,  labourer,  do. 

John  M'Intosh,  Team,  labourer,  do. 

John  M 'Coy,  Turnycrennan,  weaver,  do. 

In  addition  to  the  above  catalogue  I  now  give  the  names  of  some 
others  who  resigned  within  the  last  month,  together  with  their 
declarations  made  in  the  face  of  the  congregation  : — 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  voluntarily  admit,  that  we  did, 
at  different  times,  receive  gratuities  from  the  agents  of  the  Synod  of 
Ulster,  under  pretext  of  being  teachers  or  scholars  at  Irish  schools  ; 
but  being  now  satisfied  of  the  immorality  of  having  done  so,  and 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN,  509 

sincerely  sorry  for  our  past  conduct,  feel  it  our  duty  to  come  forward 
publicly,  and  express  our  contrition  for  the  scandal  we  have  given. 

"Daniel  M'Cormack,  of  Coolnagapog. 

"John  M'Kendry,  Ballypatrick. 

"  Paddy  M'Kendry,        do. 

"  Michael  Butler,  do. 

"  John  Jamison,  do. 

"  ^\ itness— Rev.  L.  Walsh,  P.P.,   Francis  M'Kinney,   C.C,   and 
the  Congregation  of  Carey." 

(16)  "  I,  Francis  Brennan,  for  eighteen  years  inspector  of  schools 
under  the  Irish  society,  and,  for  the  last  seven  years,  in  the  employment 
of  the  Synod  of  Ulster,  in  the  same  capacity,  being  struck  with  remorse, 
and  the  accusations  of  conscience,  for  having,  for  such  a  length  of 
time,  in  violation  of  its  dictates,  lent  myself,  and  been  instrumental 
in  propagating  a  system  hostile  to  the  faith  of  the  church  in  which 
I  was  bred,  and  one  which  is  founded  on  fraud  and  deception,  now 
feel  it  a  duty  which  I  owe  to  God,  to  society,  and  myself,  and  in 
order  to  make  what  reparation  and  satisfaction  in  my  power,  and  to 
remove,  as  far  as  I  can,  the  scandal  I  have  given,  to  come  forward 
and  expose  the  system  of  delusion  and  deception  employed  by  the 
agents  of  the  Home  Mission  to  pervert  the  Catholics,  and  deceive  the 
people  of  their  own  communion.  1,  therefore,  declare  that  the 
following  class-rolls  and  iictitious  schools  were  fabricated  and  manu- 
factured by  the  nominal  masters  whose  names  they  bear,  with  my 
approbation  and  connivance,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  money  ; 
and  that  the  superintendent  himself  knew  (as  in  the  case  of  Hugh  Sheals) 
that  there  were  no  such  schools,  but  said  it  was  necessary  to  admit  them, 
till  the  persecution,  as  he  called  it,  woidd  hloio  by,  in  order  to  keep  up 
the  credit  of  the  mission.  The  above  declaration  I  make  voluntarily, 
without  either  reward  or  the  expectation  of  it,  in  order  to  repair,  as 
far  as  I  can,  the  injury  I  have  done  to  society,  and  hoping  Cod  may 
forgive  me.  —Given  under  my  hand  this  9th  day  of  November,  1843. 
Francis  Brennan, 
Late  Inspector  of  Schools  to  the  Synod  of  Ulster. 
Wit7iesses—'LvK^  Walsh,  P.P.  of  Culfeightrin,  &c. 

Francis  M 'Kenny,  C.C. 

Daniel  M'Neill. 

Brennan  delivered  over  the  rolls  of  the  pretended  schools 
in  which  were  entered  the  names,  residences,  age,  and 
pro2;i'ess  of  the  scholars. 


510  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

(17)  "  Inspection  List  of  the  Drumadoon  Irish  school." 

Then  follow  the  names  of  15  scholars. 

Subjoined  are  the  declarations  of  the  master  and  inspector  : — 
"With  sorrow  and  regret  for  the  evil  I  have  done,  I  admit  that  the 
above  names  of  scholars  are  fictitious — that  the  above  never  entered 
my  school,  and  that  I  never  showed  scholars,  because  I  never  had  a 
school ;  and,  at  the  last  payment,  in  August,  I  got  the  money 
without  being  asked  by  M'Minnamy  or  M'llhatton,  the  inspectors, 
for  scholars,  and  the  money  I  received  was  ten  shillings. 

his 
John  X  M'Kendry, 
mark. 
Witnesses— IjVK-e.  Walsh,  P.P. 

Francis  M'Kenna,  C.C. 
Daniel  M'Neill. 
None  of  the  above  scholars  ever  appeared  at  any  time  at  any 
inspection.  Francis  Brennan,  late  Inspector." 

(18)  "Inspection  List  of  the  Murlough  Irish  School,  for  period  ending 

Nov.  17th,  1842.— Patrick  M'Kendry,  Master." 

Then  follow  the  names  of   13  scholars. 

"With  sorrow  and  regret  T  admit  that  the  above  names  are  ficti- 
tious, that  they  never  attended  my  school,  and  that  I  never  showed 
a  scholar  ;  and,  at  the  last  payment,  in  August,  I  got  my  money 
without  any  list  being  asked  by  M'Minnamy  or  M'llhatton,  the 
inspectors.     The  money  I  received  was  ten  shillings. 

his 
Patrick  X  M'Kendry." 
mark. 
Witnesses— 'LuKK\YALfin,  P.P. 

Francis  M'Kenna,  C.C. 
Daniel  M'Neill. 

Not  one  of  the  above  scholars  ever  appeared  at  inspection. 
(Signed)  Francis  Brennan,  late  Inspector." 

(19)  "  Inspection  List  of  Ballyverida  Irish  School,  for  the  period  ending 

Nov.  27,  1S42.— Robert  M'Michael,  master." 

Then  follow  the  names  of  22  scholars. 
I,  with  sorrow  and  regret,  admit  that  the  entire  of  the  above 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  511 

names  are  fictitious   as  scholars,  as  I  never  taught  one  of  them  a 
lesson.  Robert  M 'Michael. 

Witnesses— hvKE  Walsh. 

Daniel  M'Neill. 
No  such  scholars  ever  appeared  to  me. 

Francis  Brennan,  late  inspector." 

Brennan  returned  the  Inspection  Lists  of  Ballypatrick 
Irish  school,  32  scholars  ;  of  the  Irish  schools  of  Slieve  Pirrii, 
17  scholars;  Torryvrenran,  23  scholars;  Glenmakerin,  22 
scholars;  Gortin,  17  scholars;  Malindevin,  25  scholars; 
Tarnareagh,  14  scholars.     At  the  end  of  the  lists  he  wrote  : 

' '  The  above  names  are  fictitious  and  have  never  appeared  before 
me  at  any  time  as  scholars." 

(20)  "  Inspection  List  of  the  Ballyuckan  Irish  School,  for  period 

ending  17th  of  January,  1843— Hugh  Sheals,  teacher." 

Then  follow  the  names  of  16  scholars. 

"  The  above  names  never  appeared  before  me  at  inspection  as 
scholars;  they  were  afiixed  by  the  teacher  and  Mr.  MTlhatton.  I 
made  known  the  fraud  to  Mr.  Allen  at  the  time,  but  he  only  laughed 
at  it.  (Signed,)  Francis  Brennan." 

(21)  "  Inspection  List  of  the  Ballytrim  Irish  School,  for  period  ending 

17th  of  November,  1842— Daniel  M'Cormick,  teacher." 

Then  follow  the  names  of  16  scholars. 

"With  sorrow  and  regret  for  the  evil  I  have  done,  I  admit  that  the 
above  names  of  scholars  are  fictitious;  that  the  above  never  attended 
my  school ;  that  I  never  had  a  school  in  the  above  town,  nor  taught 
a  school,  either  English  or  Irish,  nor  ever  produced  any  person  to  the 
Irish  inspectors  under  the  name  of  a  scholar,  although  I  received 
from  them  money  to  the  amount  of  one  guinea,  at  two  different 
payments. — Given  under  my  hand  this  22nd  day  of  November,  1843. 

his 
Daniel  X  M'Cormick. 
Witnesses— Fra-hcis  M' Kenny,  C.C,  mark 

Daniel  M'Neill. 

The  above  fictitious  names  of  scholars  never  appeared  before  me. 
(Signed,)  Francis  Brennan. " 


512  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

(22)  "  Gentlemen, — Having  asserted  in  your  reports  of  the  Home 
Mission,  for  the  last  three  years,  the  existence  of  a  number  of  Irish 
schools  in  the  Glens  of  Antrim,  and  having  frequently  called  upon 
you,  but  all  in  vain,  to  produce  satisfactory  evidence  to  that  effect, 
we,  the  undersigned,  perfectly  convinced  that  no  such  schools  are  to 
be  found,  and  being  now  in  possession  of  your  class-rolls,  give  you 
this  public  challenge — that,  at  a  public  discussion,  to  be  held  in  the 
town  of  Ballycastle,  in  the  vicinity  of  those  reputed  schools,  on  such 
a  day  and  such  terms  as  may  be  mutually  convenient,  we  are  ready 
to  meet  you,  when  you  shall  be  called  upon  to  sustain,  and  we  shall 
impugn,  the  accuracy  of  these  reports  and  class-rolls,  which  we  now 
emphatically  pronounce  to  be  gross  fabrications  ;  and,  should  you 
decline  this  challenge,  you  must  be  content  to  wear  the  brand 
which  public  opinion  has  stamped  on  the  hypocrite,  the  forger, 
and  fabricator. 

Luke  Walsh,  P.P.  of  Culfeightrin,  &c. 
John  Fitzsimons,  P.P.  of  Cushendall. 
Drumaroan,  Dec.  4,  1843. 
To  the  Rev.  Eobert  Allen,  Stewartstown,  Director,  and  the  Rev. 
]Mr.  Bellis,  Belfast,  Superintendent  of  Irish  Schools." 

"to  the  PRESBYTERIANS  OF  ULSTER. 

(23)  "Dear  Countrymen, — Being  employed  by  the  Directors  of 
the  General  Home  Mission  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Ireland,  as 
Inspector  of  Irish  Schools  in  the  Glens  of  Antrim,  I  now  come 
forward,  without  fee  or  reward,  or  promise  thereof,  but  in  justice  to 
society,  to  declare,  that  during  the  three  years  I  continued  in  the 
ofEce  of  Inspector  in  these  Glens,  in  order  to  satisfy  my  employers, 
and  hold  my  situation,  and  gain  money  for  the  teachers,  I  always 
gave  false  returns,  as  I  knew  it  to  be  a  habitual  practice,  and  the 
only  means  by  which  that  system  could  be  supported.  Those  false 
reports  I  gave  to  my  superintendent,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Allen,  to  be 
forwarded  to  the  Directors.  Now,  with  sorrow  for  the  long  fraud 
practised  by  me  and  said  teachers  in  cheating  the  public,  I  now 
assure  them,  that  the  system  of  Irish  teaching  was,  and  is,  carried 
on  cunningly  and  fraudulently  by  the  inspectors  and  teachers 
throughout  Ulster,  Leinster,  Muuster,  and  Connaught,  as  every 
teacher  holds  a  copy-sheet  of  names  of  scholars  fictitiously  enrolled, 
as  being  under  instruction  with  them,  out  of  which  copy  the  inspector 
copies  said  names,  and  returns  them  to  his  superintendent,  who 
forwards  them  to  the  directors  of  management,  as  scholars  seen  and 
examined  by  the  inspector  in  reading  and  translating.     This  is  the 


THE  PARISH  OP  CULFEIGHTRIN.  513 

method,  gentlemen,  which  is  carried  on  by  the  inspectors  and 
teachers  to  deceive  you,  and  draw  the  money  out  of  your  pockets. 
Perhaps  you  will  say>  then,  the  practice  of  defraud  is  totally  unknown 
to  the  superintendent ;  but  I  tell  you  in  sincerity,  that,  on  account 
of  their  own  private  interest,  they  are  freemasons  together  in  this. — 
I  am,  gentlemen,  your  very  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

"  Hugh  M'Donnell. 
Formerly  Inspector  of  Irish  Schools  in  the  Glens  of  Antrim. 
' '  Witnesses — Rev.  Patrick  Cxjeoe,  President  of  the 
Catholic  Seminary,  Belfast. 
"Rev.  George  O'Pye,  C.C. 
"Belfast,  nth  Dec,  1843." 

(24)  "  Having  seen  a  letter,  addressed  to  the  Editor  of  the  Banner 
of  Ulster,  by  the  Eev.  Robert  Allen,  in  which  he  quotes  a  passage  from 
a  journal  said  to  be  kept  by  a  person  who  he  states  was  in  company 
with  Brennan,  at  the  time  of  his  last  examination  of  a  school  said  to 
be  kept  by  me  in  Drumadoan,  in  which  he  says  there  appeared  16 
scholars — ten  readers  and  six  spellers — that  they  read  in  the  first 
chapter  of  John's  Gospel,  and  in  the  first  chapter  of  Luke's  Gospel, 
&c.  Now  I,  John  M'Kendry,  most  solemnly  declare,  and  am  willing 
to  do  so,  if  called,  upon  oath,  that  the  statement  in  the  above  passage 
is  a  downright  fabrication  and  falsehood,  as  no  such  examination  or 
inspection  as  is  here  mentioned,  of  any  school  kept  by  me,  took 
place,  as  I  never  had  a  school  in  Drumadoan,  or  any  place  else, 
although  I  was  returned  for  having  one,  and  got  the  money. — I  think 
it  right,  however,  to  tell  what  did  take  place  on  the  occasion. 
Francis  Brennan,  and  John  M'llhatton,  whom  I  suppose  to  be  the 
person  alluded  to  as  being  with  Brennan,  both  came  to  my  mother's 
house,  in  company  of  a  person  of  the  name  of  Murray,  well-known  in 
this  country,  but  in  no  way  related  to  any  priest  of  that  name  that  I 
know  of.  They  sent  for  whiskey,  and  drank  till  they  were  all  three 
so  drunk  that  they  did  not  know  what  they  were  about,  and  were,  in 
consequence,  obliged  to  stop  all  night.  I  am,  therefore,  willing  to 
depose,  if  necessary,  on  oath,  that  they  neither  saw  or  examined  any 
scholars  on  that  occasion,  or  any  other,  unless  they  call  the  bottles  of 
whisky  scholars,  which  was  not  unusual,  as  they  would  not  sign  the 
class-lists  unless  they  got  plenty. 

his 

Tartague,  Jan.  2,  1844,  "John  X  M'Kendky. 

"  Witness— Dxsi^i,  M'Neill."  mark 

2h 


514  DIOCESE    OP   CONNOR. 

Father  Walsli  in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Presbyterians 
of  Ireland,  writes  : — 

(25)  The  last  document  with  which  I  shall  trouble  you  at  present  is 
the  letter  addressed  to  myself,  by  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  res- 
pectable Presbyterians  in  or  about  Ballycastle — a  gentleman  of 
probity  and  honour,  who  was  one  of  our  poor-law  valuators  for  the 
union  of  Ballycastle,  and  knows  every  part  of  the  district  where  those 
schools  were  said  to  exist  as  well  as  I  do — I  allude  to  Mr.  John 
Campbell,  of  Bally veradagh.  I  give  his  evidence,  as  valuable  from 
bis  local  knowledge  and  integrity.  When  Brennan  gave  me  up  the 
rolls,  I  sent  them  over  to  him  to  inspect,  that  he  might  see  the 
rascality  that  was  being  practised  ;  and  he  writes  me  back,  on 
returning  the  rolls,  the  following  note,  which  he  has  since  given  me  full 
liberty  to  publish,  if  I  thought  proper  : — 

"Ballyveradagh,  Dec.  lOfh,  1843. 
"My  Dear  Sir, — You  have  made  a  wonderful  discovery  of  the 
deception  and  frauds  practised  on  the  Home  Mission  by  the  Irish 
teachers,  and  no  less  wonderful  than  tme.  I  long  since  knew  that 
they  were  deceiving  the  Assembly,  and  were  taking  their  money  for 
nothing,  and  often  told  some  of  the  members  so  ;  but  I  was  not  aware 
that  the  imposition  was  carried  altogether  to  such  an  extent  as  you 
have  discovered  it  to  be.  '  It  is  an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody  good.' 
I  see  they  have  found  out  a  number  of  new  townlands  in  the  union, 
which  were  never  heard  of  before  for  Mr.  Boyd  and  me  to  value. 
You  need  not  expect  to  make  anything  by  them,  as,  of  course,  they 
are  inhabited  by  a  Presbyterian  race  and  a  new  tribe.  I  suppose  we 
might  call  them  the  Brownists. 

"  I  am,  dear  Sir,  very  truly  yours, 

"  John  Campbell. 
"  To  the  Eev.  Luke  Walsh." 

These  exposures  contributed  very  much  to  undeceive  the 
intelligent  portion  of  the  Irish  Presbyterians,  and  the 
missionary  fund  sensibly  felt  the  effects.  Dr.  Edgar,  who 
had  succeeded  Mr.  Allen  in  the  management  of  the  Home 
Mission,  had  a  resolution  passed  in  the  General  A.ssembly 
that  he  and  some  others  would  go  on  a  deputation  to 
Scotland,  which  still  continued  to  contribute  largely.     To 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  515 

counteract  the  effects  of  this  deputation,  Father  Walsh  and 
Father  Fitzsimons,  in  October,  1844,  went  to  Scotland,  and  in 
Glasgow,  Edinburgh,  and  other  towns,  produced  before  large 
audiences  of  Presbyterians  the  same  proofs  and  documents, 
that  had  dried  up  the  sources  of  the  Home  Mission  revenue 
in  Ireland.  They  showed,  that  there  were  in  their  parishes 
some  unprincipled  persons  who  were  taking  the  money  as 
teachers  though  they  had  no  schools ;  that  these  persons,  if 
paid,  would  be  as  equally  willing  to  teach  the  Koran  as  the 
Irish  Bible,  and  that  such  persons  having  touched  the 
butter-horn  could  no  more  be  persuaded  from  their  dishonest 
practices  than  the  hungry  wolf  that  had  once  tasted  its  blood 
could  be  restrained  from  the  prey.  The  people  of  Scotland, 
notwithstanding  their  prejudices,  felt  the  truth  of  the  state- 
ments made  by  the  priests,  and  soon  that  countiy  ceased  to 
be  the  fertile  field  on  which  the  Home  Mission  could  gather 
its  rich  harvest.  Just  at  that  time  a  circumstance  occurred, 
which  caused  again  a  free  flow  of  money  to  the  society. 
The  Presbyterians  of  Ireland  and  Scotland  were  roused  into 
a  state  of  great  excitement  against  what  was  termed  the 
bigotry  and  intolerance  of  Father  Walsh,  who,  on  Sunday, 
the  18th  of  August,  1844^  in  Culfeightrin  Church,  publicly 
warned  his  parishioners  against  associating  with  Charles 
M'Loughlin.  This  man  was  the  miller  of  the  corn-mill  of 
Clon tariff,  at  which  the  farmers  of  several  townlands,  on  the 
old  system  of  multure,  were  bound  to  have  their  corn 
ground.  He  was  one  of  the  Irish  teachers  and,  though  he 
was  called  a  Catholic,  he,  in  order  to  obtain  the  Home 
Mission  pay,  was  in  the  babit  of  reading  the  Protestant  Bible 
in  the  Irish  language  to  the  farmers  who  came  to  have  their 
grain  ground  at  his  mill.  Those,  in  whose  pay  M'Loughlin 
was,  urged  him  to  bring  an  action  at  law  against  Father  Walsh. 


516  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

The  case  was  tried  in  Carrickfergus,  on  the  25th  of  March, 

1846,  It  was  sworn  that  Father  "Walsh  excommunicated 
M'Loughlin,  whereby  his  trade  was  much  injured,  and  a 
verdict  was  obtained  by  the  plaintifi'  for  ^70  damages  with 
costs.  The  public,  however,  in  consequence  of  the  trial, 
became  educated  as  to  the  real  nature  of  the  great  imposture, 
and  the  Glens  Mission  disappeared  for  ever.  It,  however, 
produced  one  lamentable  and  lasting  effect,  it  destroyed, 
along  the  Antrim  coast,  the  Irish  language. 

When  the  great  struggle  was  over,  Father  Walsh  might, 
like  St.  Paul,  have  said  :  The  time  of  my  dissolution  is  at 
hand.  I  have  fought  the  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my 
course,  I  have  kept  the  faith.     He  died  on  the  17th  of  July, 

1847,  and  his  remains  were  interred  within  the  sanctuary 
of  his  church. 

After  his  death  the  parish  was  administered  by  his  curate, 
Father  Patrick  Starkey,  the  present  parish  priest  of  Cushen- 
dall.  From  a  very  early  period,  at  least  from  1704,  the 
parish  consisted  of  the  civil  parish  of  Culfeightrin  and  the 
Grange  of  Inispollan.  The  eastern  part  of  the  civil  parish 
and  the  Grange  of  Inispollan  were,  in  April,  1848,  constitu- 
ted into  a  separate  parish,  of  which  Father  Starkey  was 
appointed  Parish  Priest,  and  the  remainder,  which  constitutes 
the  present  parish  of  Culfeightrin,  was  conferred  on  Father 
Kearney. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Kearney,  the  present  Parish  Priest 
was  appointed  in  April,  1848.  (For  an  account  of  him 
see  p.  251.) 

In  a  return  made  to  the  House  of  Lords,  in  176G,  for  the  parishes 
of  Ramoan  and  Culfeightrin,  by  Robert  Hill,  vicar  of  Ramoan,  he 
gives  the  names  of  354  Protestant  families,  and  86  Popish  families  in 
the  parish  of  Ramoan  ;  and  reports — "No  Popish  priest  resident  in 


THE  PARISH  OF  CULFEIGHTRIN.  517 

this  parish."  In  the  return  for  Culfeightrin  he  gives  the  names  of 
84  Protestant  families,  and  354  Popish  families ;  and  reports— 
"  Michael  M'MuUan,  a  Popish  priest,  resident  in  this  parish."  In 
1881  there  was,  in  the  civil  parish  of  Piamoan,  1,326  Catholics,  and 
2,098  Protestants  ;  and  in  the  civil  parish  of  Culfeightrin,  2, 444  Catho- 
lics and  360  Protestants.  As  the  Catholic  parish  of  Eamoan  has  a 
few  Catholics  belonging  to  the  civil  parish  of  Ballintoy,  and  the 
Catholic  parish  of  Culfeightrin  has  about  the  same  number  belonging 
to  the  civil  parish  of  E.amoan — the  Catholic  population  of  the  Catholic 
parish  of  Ramoan,  in  1881,  was  about  1,326. 

As  about  one-third  of  the  Catholics  enumerated  in  the  civil  parish 
of  Culfeightrin  belong  to  the  Catholic  parish  of  Cushendun,  it  follows, 
that  after  adding  those  enumerated  in  the  civil  parish  of  Ramoan, 
there  were  in  the  Catholic  parish  of  Culfeightrin,  in  1881,  abou 
1,660  Catholics. 

Immediately  before  the  entry  referring  to  the  church  of  Murlough 
my  copy  of  the  Terrier  enters  : — "  Capella  de  Dunmoth.  It  is  of 
St.  John's — exempt — Sir  Randal  hath  it."  Dunmoth  \b  k  mistake, 
made  by  some  transcriber,  for  Dunmore.  The  site  of  the  church  is 
now  called  Killowen  ;  it  is  in  the  townland  of  Cross,  and  is  close  to 
Lough-na-cranagh,  that  was  formerly  (see  p.  487)  named  Lough 
Dunmore. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDUN. 


THE  Parish  of  Cushendun  contains  the  part  of  the  civil 
parish  of  Culfeightrin,  south  and  east  of  the  boundary- 
line  mentioned  in  page  458,  together  with  the  granges  of 
Layd  and  Inispollan,  and  some  townlands  in  the  north  of 
the  civil  parish  of  Layd,*  the  names  of  which  are  mentioned 
further  on  in  a  note. 

In  Torr  West  on  the  summit  of  a  lofty  hill,  a  short 
distance  north-west  of  the  road  from  Ballycastle  to  Toit 
Head,  are  some  monumental  remains  in  the  mountain 
grazing  of  John  M'Cormick  (1838).  An  oval  space  23  by 
25  yards,  is  marked  out  by  large  stones  set  on  their  ends  in 
the  ground.  About  the  centre  of  the  enclosure  are  the 
remains  of  a  cromleach  ;  5  stones  of  large  size,  standing  from 
2§  to  3 1  feet  above  the  ground,  enclose  a  space  7  by  5  feet, 
but  the  cap-stone  has  been  displaced.  Adjoining  the  ruined 
cromleach  on  the  west  side  seem  to  have  been  similar 
structures  consisting  of  large  flat  stones  set  on  their  ends 
and  enclosing  small  spaces ;  all  the  remains  are  greatly 
ruined.  They  are  locally  named  the  Meurogs — "the  finger 
stones,"  from  a  silly  story,  that  they  were  thrown  by  a  giant 
to  this  place  from  Torr  Head.  The  view  from  the  monument 
is  extensive  and  varied,  embracing  a  vast  extent  ot  sea, 
headlands,  and  mountain-moor  land.     A  short  distance  west 

*These  townlands  were  severed  from  the  parish  of  Layd  after  the 
death  of  Father  Fitzsimmons  in  1869. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDUN.  519 

of  the  Meurogs  lies,  along  a  fence,  St.  Columbkille's  Stone — 
a  rude  stone  3  feet  long  and  1  foot  thick,  having  on  its  flat 
side  some  indentations  said  to  be  the  impressions  of  the  hand 
and  foot  of  the  Saint,  who,  it  is  said,  often  prayed  on  this 
stone.  On  this  account  it  was  formerly  held  in  great  venera- 
tion.    See  Ord.  Surv.  MS. 

In  the  townland  of  East  Torr,  near  the  village  of  Torr, 
are  the  remains  of  an  ancient  graveyard  -naxaQdi  Killowen ; 
it  is  at  present  (1838)  30  by  20  yards,  but  it  was  formerly 
much  larger,  for  15  yards  north  of  it  are  the  ruins  of  a  stone 
fence  which  bounded  it  on  that  side.  It  was  regularly  used 
for  interment  until  the  year  1810,  when  the  graveyard 
at  tbe  church  in  Barnish  was  opened,  and  since  that  period 
it  has  occasionally  been  used  for  the  interment  even  of 
adults.  In  the  west  end  of  the  graveyard  an  oblong  stone 
2|  feet  broad^  H  feet  thick,  and  4  feet  long,  lies  on  its 
edge  at  the  head  of  a  grave.  Into  this  stone  is  cut  a  niche, 
l|^feet  wide  and  6  inches  deep,  extending  across  the  breadth 
of  the  stone.  There  is  (1838),  at  the  dwelling  house  of 
Robert  M'Cambridge,  a  whin-stone  that  was  found  in  Kill- 
owen ;  it  is  3  feet  long,  2^  feet  broad,  and  1  foot  thick ;  in 
it  is  sunk  a  font  10  inches  deep  and  10  inches  in  diameter. 
In  the  farm  of  Daniel  M'Cambridge  is  an  artificial  cave  10 
yards  long  and  of  the  usual  construction ;  in  it  were  found 
fish  shells,  bones  and  cinders — it  is  now  closed.  On  the 
summit  of  a  small  hill,  in  the  farm  of  Widow  M'Laster — in 
whose  farm  is  (a.d.  1838)*  the  graveyard — is  a  mound  of 
earth  and  stones,  13  by  10  feet,  and  raised  4  feet  high.     In 

*To  prevent  mistakes  it  should  be  mentioned  that  when  objects 
of  antiquity  are  said,  on  the  authority  of  the  Ord.  Sxirv.  MS.,  to  be 
in  certain  farms,  that  the  farmers  mentioned  are  those  who  occupied 
the  farms  at  the  time  when  the  Ord.  Surv.  MS.  was  written. 


520  DIOCESE   OF   COMNOR. 

the  centre  of  it  is  a  Standing  Stone,  2  feet  high,  1  foot  broad 
and  9  inches  thick,  the  top  of  which  somewhat  resembles 
the  head  and  neck  of  some  animal.  The  mound  is  named 
Crochan-an-hhoghail — "the  hillock  of  the  boy."  Crowning 
the  headland  of  Torr,  where  now  stands  the  Coastguard 
Watch-house,  was  formerly  a  stone  fort,  or  cashiol,  called  by 
the  Irish  speaking  people  Dun-Bharaigh — (pronounced 
Dun- Worry) — the  fort  of  Barach.  (See  p.  480).  It  is  said 
to  have  been  a  circular  wall,  10  feet  high  and  10  feet  broad, 
composed  of  large  stones,  and  enclosing  a  space  of  70  feet  in 
diameter.  The  entrance  was  by  a  large  and  well-formed 
gateway ;  the  top-stone,  or  lintel  of  which,  now  lying  at  the 
place,  is  7  feet  10  inches  long,  2  feet  broad,  and  9  inches  thick. 
This  ancient  cyclopean  fortress  seems  to  have  remained  in  a 
comparatively  complete  state  until  about  the  year  1818, 
when  it  and  some  outworks  belonging  to  it  were  destroyed 
to  make  room  for  the  watch-house.*  To  the  south  of  the 
site  of  this  fort  is  the  site  of  another  Cyclopean  fort  named 
Tigh-na-saigdear  (pronounced  Tee-na-saydar) — '  the  house  of 
the  soldiers,'  The  fort  consisted  of  a  circular  wall,  4|  feet 
thick,  and  said  to  have  been  8  feet  high,  v/hich  enclosed  a 
space  of  about  30  feet  in  diameter.  The  walls  were  composed 
of  very  large  stones,  but  it  is  now  reduced  to  the  foundation 
and  the  stones  have  been  removed  for  other  constructions. 

*The  Ordnance  MS.,  written  in  1838  by  Mr  Fagan,  says—"  In  the 
interior  stood  a  fire-place  and  grating  of  very  large  size,  and 
constructed  of  well  shaped  stones  of  large  dimensions."  In  Norden's 
Map,  drawn  up  about  ,1610,  is  entered,  at  a  place  indicating  some- 
where about  Torr.  "At  this  marke  the  Scots  used  to  make  their 
warning  fires. "  The  fire-place  within  the  ancient  fortress  of  Dunvarry 
seems  to  have  been  erected  by  the  Scotts  for  that  purpose.  It  is  the 
nearest  point  in  Ireland  to  the  coast  of  Scotland,  being  only  about 
eleven  and  a  half  miles  distant  from  the  Mull  of  Cantire. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDUN.  521 

On  the  east  side  of  the  road  from  Ballycastle  to  Torr  there 
is,  on  the  property  of  Dr.  M'Donnell  of  Cushendall,  and 
near  a  sand-pit,  a  little  eminence  on  which  was  a  Giant's 
Grave,  18  feet  long,  10  feet  broad,  and  6  feet  high,  composed 
chiefly  of  earth.  It  was  named  Sleacht  (Leacht)  Bharaigh 
Mhoir  (pronounced  Slacht  Warry-woir) — the  grave  of  the 
great  Barach,*  who,  according  to  local  stories,  erected  and 
resided  in  the  Cyclopean  fort  of  Dunvarry.  The  grave  was 
destroyed  by  Randal  M'Donnell,  of  Torr,  about  the  year  1803, 
who  found  nothing  in  it  but  fine  rich  earth.  See  Ord.  Surv. 
MS.  Torr  is  named  Torhlmrg — '  the  fort  (or  town)  of  Torr, 
in  the  decree  of  the  Synod  of  Rathbreasil,  held  about  the 
year  1181,  which  mentions  it  as  one  of  the  boundaries  of  the 
Diocese  of  Connor.  Keating,  in  his  History  of  Ireland, 
gives,  from  the  ancient  Book  of  Clonenagh,  the  following 
portion  of  that  decree. 

"The  diocese  of  the  Bishop  of  Coindire — from  Bimm-Fhoibhne  (1) 
to  Thorbhuirg  and  from  Purt  Murbhulg  (2)  to  OUorbha  {?,)  to  Cuan 
Snamha-h-Aighne  (4)  and  from  Glionn  Righe  (5)  to  Colbha  Gearmann 
(6)." 

Along  the  sea  at  a  short  distance  south  of  Torr  Head  is 
Leckpatrick — '  Patrick's  Flag-stone.'     There  is  a  passage  in 

*For  some  account  of  Barach  see  p.  480.  Barach,  in  popular  story, 
is  no  longer  the  polished  courtier  of  Emania,  entertaining  the  Eed 
Branch  Knights  of  Ulster  with  "  ale  banquets  "  in  his  fortress  over 
the  sea,  or  winning  the  smiles  of  his  sovereign  by  acts  as  unscrupulous 
as  those  of  more  modern  courtiers.  He  is  reduced  to  the  level  of  a 
vulgar  giant,  the  terror  of  five  other  "  big  giants"  residing  about 
Ballyucan,  against  whom  he  hurls  from  Torr  Head  the  Meurogs — 
'  finger-stones'  which,  notwithstanding  his  gigantic  powers^  drop  at 
half  the  distance  to  Ballyucan. 

(1)  Now  Benyevenagh  in  the  county  of  Derry,  near  MagiUigan  (2) 
now  Portatrostan  at  Murlough  (3)  Larne  (4)  Carlingford  Lough  (5) 
now  the  glen  of  the  Newry  river,  formerly  called  Glenn  Ree.  (6)  Dr. 
'ReeYes  Eccles.  Ant'iq.   p.   253   writes — ''The  pilar  of  Germonn — un- 


522  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

the  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrich  which  relates  the  Saint's 
proceedings  in  a  part  of  Connaught,  but  which  seems,  as  Dr. 
Reeves  remarks,  to  refer  to  the  G-lynns  of  Antrim,  and  may, 
in  some  transcription,  have  been  placed  out  of  its  natural 
order.  After  relating  what  the  Saint  did  in  a  part  of  the 
present  county  of  Leitrim,  it  says  : — 

"  He  joiirneyed  into  the  glens  eastward,  where  Cenel-muinremur  is 
to-day.  His  two  nostrils  bled  on  the  way  ;  Patrick's  flag  (Lee 
Patrick)  is  there  and  Patrick's  hazel.  He  put  up  there.  Strath 
Patrick,  it  is  named  this  day  ;  Domnach  Patrick  was  its  former  name. 
Patrick  remained  there  on  Sunday,  and  this  is  his  only  church  in 
that  region." 

How  much,  if  any,  of  this  passage  refers  to  the  coast  of 
Antrim,  it  is  difficult  to  say.  The  Cenel  Muinremur  or  "race 
of  (Eochaidh)  Muinreamhar,"  the  eighth  in  descent  from 
Cairbre  Kiada,  occupied  the  districts  about  Murlough,  Mac 
Firbis  says  : — 

"  Olchu,  son  of  Eochaidh  Muinreamhar,  now,  had  eleven  sons.  It 
was  they  who  occupied  Murbulg  (Murlough)  in  Dalriada,  Muireadhach 
Bolg,  Aodh,  Daire,  Aongus,  Tuathal,  Anblomait,  Eochaidh,  Seudna, 
Brian,  Oiniu,  and  Cormac." 

In  the  farm  of  James  M' Bride,  in  Farrenmacallan,  is  a 
cave  10  yards  long,  constructed  in  the  usual  manner,  and 
near  it  is  a  similar  one  which  runs  under  the  county  road  ; 
both  are  closed  up.     See  Oirl.  Surv.  MS. 

At  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  which  rises  to  an  altitude 
of  1254  feet,  at  the  junction  of  Bally vennaght,  East  Torr 
and  Cushleake  townlands,  is  the  great  chambered  cairn  called 
Cairnanmore,  a  sketch  of    which    is   given   in    Mr.   Gray's 

known  to  the  Editor.  Mr.  O'Donovan  suggests  that  "  it  must  be  a 
natural  rock  like  the  Torrs  of  Donegal. "  It  may  have  been  Cloughan- 
Strichan  (parish  of  Ardclinis),  from  which  the  length  of  Ireland  was 
formerly  computed.  The  Diocese  of  Connor  then  included  those  of 
Down  and  Dromore,  and  extended  to  the  river  Roe. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDUN.  523 

Cromlechs  of  Antrim  and  Doion.  It  measured  across  the  top 
from  one  side  of  the  base  to  the  other,  30  yards,  and  the 
summit  of  the  cairn  stood  from  15  to  20  feet  above  the 
surface  of  the  mountain,  but  it  is  now  much  diminished  and 
disfigured.  On  the  west  side  ai-e  the  remains  of  a  chamber, 
or  cavC;  the  opening  to  which  was,  in  the  north-west  side,  at 
the  base  of  the  cairn ;  it  was  about  28  or  30  feet  long,  but 
at  present  only  1 0  feet  at  the  eastern  end  remain  ;  there  is 
a  small  recess  on  the  south  side  at  the  east  end.  It  is  from 
3  to  4  feet  wide,  and  from  4  to  7  feet  high.  The  floor  is 
laid  with  well-shaped  flat  stones ;  the  walls  are  built  of  large 
stones,  course  after  course  of  which  project  over  each  other 
from  the  ground  to  the  roof,  which  is  made  of  large  flag 
stones — one  of  these  is  4|  feet  long,  3  feet  broad,  and  10 
inches  thick,  others  are  6  feet  long  and  of  greater  breath  and 
thickness  than  the  one  described.  On  the  under  side  of 
one  of  the  roofing  slabs  are  several  small  cup-like  depressions, 
evidently  of  human  workmanship ;  and  as  these  markings 
are  continued  round  the  stone  it  obviously  follows  that  they 
were  carved  before  the  erection  of  the  monument.  The 
stones  of  many  ancient  pagan  structures  in  Ireland  were 
marked  with  some  class  of  emblematic  carvings,  perhaps  as 
it  were  to  consecrate  them  for  the  uses  to  which  they  were 
afterwards  appointed.  Over  this  chamber  was  heaped 
the  cairn  composed  of  small  stones.  Its  summit  commands 
a  very  extensive  panoramic  view  of  the  lovely  circumjacent 
scenery  of  the  coast  of  Antrim,  and  the  not  far  distant 
headlands  of  Scotland.  In  the  townland  of  Aughna- 
sillagh  was  an  ancient  graveyard  named  Killnacrumhagh, 
which  is  now  almost  entirely  under  cultivation.  In 
Ligadaughtan  is  Doonmore,  a  natui'al  hill  which  was  once 
fortified.     In  Altagore  are  the  remains  of  a  Cashiol,  in  the 


524  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

farm  of  Mrs.  M'Neill.  It  is  a  circular  erection,  with  an 
internal  diameter  of  between  fifty  and  sixty  feet,  and  is 
strongly  and  regularly  built  of  large  stones  without  mortar. 
The  walls  are  about  nine  feet  thick  and  above  nine  feet  high. 
There  is  an  entrance  to  this  circle  on  the  north-eastern  side, 
and  there  are  also  the  remains  of  rude  steps  from  the 
interior  of  the  circle  to  the  top  of  the  wall.  At  the  north- 
western side  of  the  circle,  and  within  the  enclosure,  is  an 
opening  about  3  feet  by  2|,  which  admits  to  a  chamber  built 
within  the  thickness  of  the  wall.  An  examination  of  this 
shows  that  it  is  closed  by  fallen  stones.  A  short  distance 
off,  on  the  slope  of  another  hill,  in  the  farm  of  Alexander 
Hamilton,  townland  of  Tornamoney,  are  the  remains  of, 
apparently,  a  similar  erection,  but  much  broke  down.  The 
wall  seems  to  have  been  removed,  and  the  internal  chamber 
is  now  reached  by  an  opening  on  the  top,  where  one  of  the 
covering  stones  has  given  away.  Two  others,  more  injured 
than  even  this  last,  occur  within  a  short  distance,  one 
in  the  farm  of  Robert  M'Kay,  Corramellagh  ,  the  other  in 
John  O'Drain's  farm,  Bally teerim,  about  600  yards  west  of 
Cross  Shreen. 

In  Cashleake  Mountain  South  are  some  large  stones  called 
Craignacat — "  the  cat's  rock,"  at  which  there  are  said  to  be 
some  artificial  caves.  In  the  townland  of  Ballyteerim  is  an 
ancient  graveyard  in  which  are  the  foundations  of  a  church, 
measuring  35  by  22  feet,  and  near  it  the  site  of  a  fort,  or 
more  probably  a  funereal  mound.  An  old  holy  water 
font  lies  in  the  graveyard.  The  graveyard  is  yet 
used  for  the  interment  of  infants ;  it  is  named  Cross  Shreen 
(Croise  Serine — "  the  shrine  of  the  cross")  so  named 
probably  from  a  piece  of  the  true  Cross  having  once  been 
enshrined  here.     In  this  almost  obliterated  graveyard,  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDUN.  525 

body  of  the  celebrated  Shane  O'Neill  was  consigned,  in  1567, 
to  an  unhonoured,  and  afterwards  desecrated,  grave.  Shane 
the  Proud  was  one  of  the  greatest  princes  of  his  name  that 
ever  ruled  Tyrone.  Dr.  Stewart  in  his  Historical  Memoirs 
of  the  City  of  Armagh  shews,  from  the  public  records,  that 
the  war  against  Shane  cost  the  Queen  of  England  the  sum 
of  £147,407  3s.  9d.,  independent  of  the  cesses  laid  on  the 
country  for  its  support  and  the  losses  sustained  by  her 
subjects,  while  of  her  soldiers,  3,500  were  slain  by  the 
O'Neill  and  his  troops.  Shane  looked  not  on  the  English  as 
his  only  enemies ;  the  Anglo-Norman  Palesmen,  the 
Maguires  of  Fermanagh,  the  O'Donnells  of  Tyrconnell,  the 
M'Donnells  of  Antrim — in  one  word,  any  race  who  were 
likely  to  endanger  the  supremacy  in  Ulster  of  the  Kinel-Owen 
were  crushed  with  an  unsparing  hand,  by  the  resolute  and 
undaunted  O'Neill.  But  that  unsparing  hand  wrote  on  the 
memories  of  his  enemies  a  record  of  vengeance  that  was  sure 
one  day  to  tell  against  him.  We  have  seen  how  he  slaught- 
ered the  M'Donnells  in  the  carnage  of  Glentaoisi  (see  p.  410) 
bringing  woe  to  every  household.  "When,  however,  the  tide 
of  war  turned  against  him  he  resolved  to  betake  himself  to  his 
former  enemies  and,  as  a  propitiary  offering,  he  sent  home  in 
freedom  Sorley  Boy  whom  he  had  taken  prisoner  on  the 
bloody  field  of  Ballycastle. 

After  O'Neill  had  arrived  in  Tyrone  he  did  not  take  ease,  nor  did 
he  enjoy  sleep,  until  he  had  sent  messengers  to  Scotland,  to  invite 
James,  the  son  of  Alexander,  son  of  John  Cahanagh  MacDonnell  (to 
come  from  Scotland  to  his  assistance).  It  was  an  omen  of  destruction 
of  life,  and  the  cause  of  his  death,  that  he  should  invite  to  his  assist- 
ance the  sons  of  the  man  who  had  fallen  by  himself  some  time  before. 
They  came  hastily  with  a  great  maratime  fleet,  and  landed  at  Bun- 
ahhann-Duine  (now  Ciishendun)  in  Ulster,  where  they  pitched  their 
rich,  many  tented  camp.  As  soon  as  O'Neill  heard  of  the  arrival  of 
that  great  host,  he  did  not  consider  his  enmity  towards  them  ;  he 


526  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

went  under  the  protection  of  that  fierce  and  vindicative  host  without 
surety  or  security,  in  order  to  that  he  might  be  able  to  wreak  his 
vengeance  on  the  Kinel-Connell  (the  O'Donnells).  And  the  reception 
he  got  from  them,  after  having  been  for  some  time  in  their  company, 
was  to  mangle  him  nimbly  and  put  him  unsparingly  to  the  sword  and 
bereave  him  of  life.  Grevious  to  the  race  of  Owen,  son  of  Niall,  was 
the  death  of  him  who  was  then  slain,  for  he  had  been  their 
Conchobhar  in  provincial  dignity,  their  Lugh,  the  Longhanded, 
in  heroism  and  their  champion  in  danger  and  prowess. — Four 
Masters,  A.D.,  1567. 

The  celebrated  Jesuit,  Edmund  Campion,  who  was  in 
Ireland  at  the  time,  describes,  but  with  the  feelings  of  an 
Englishman,  the  particulars  of  the  murder  : 

"  MacConill  (MacDonnell),  whom  Shane  overthrew,  left  two 
bretheru  and  a  sister,  where  of  one  Snarly  Torwy  (perhaps  Tawny 
for  Boy — yellow)  remained  with  O'Neale.  .  .  .  The  other  was 
Alexander  Oge,  who  with  600  Scots  incamped  now  in  Claneboy.  The 
woman  was  Agnes  Ilye,  whose  husband  Shane  slew  in  the  same  dis- 
comfiture. Agnes  had  a  sonne,  MacGilly  Aspucke,  who  betrayed 
O'Neale  to  his  father's  and  uncle's  quarrell.  At  the  first  meeting, 
for  thither  he  came  accompanied  with  Torwy  (Sorley  Boy)  and  his 
Secretary  and  50  horsemen,  the  Captaines  made  great  cheere,  and  fell 
to  quaffing,  but  Aspucke,  minding  to  enter  into  his  purpose,  then 
openly  challenged  his  Secretary  as  the  author  of  a  dishonorable  re- 
port, that  MacConill's  wife  (widow)  did  offer  to  forsake  her  country 
and  friends  and  to  marry  with  Shane  O'Xeale  her  husband's 
destruction  ;  Mary  (quoth  the  Secretary),  if  thine  Aunt  was  Queen 
of  Scotland  it  might  become  her  full  well  to  seek  such  a  marriage. 
To  this  brawle  O'Neale  gave  eare,  upheld  his  man,  advanced  his  own 
degree.  The  comparrison  bred  a  fray  between  their  souldiours  ; 
Out  Aspucke  and  beat  O'Neale's  man,  and  then  suddainly  brought 
his  band  upon  them  in  the  tent,  where  the  souldiours,  with  their 
slaughter  knives,  killed  the  Secretary  and  Shane  O'Neale,  mangled 
him  cruelly,  lapped  him  in  an  old  Irish  shirte  and  tumbled  him  into 
a  pit  within  an  old  Chappel  hard  by  ;  whose  head,  four  days  after, 
Captaine  Pierce  cut  off,  and  met  therewith  the  Deputy,  who  sent  it 
before  him  staked  on  a  pole  to  the  Castle  of  Divelin  (Dublin),  where 
it  now  standeth.  It  is  thought  that  Tirlagh,  who  now  usurpeth  the 
name  of  O'Neale,  practised  this  devise  with  Agnes,  Alexander  and 
Torwy." — Campion's  Historic  of  Ireland. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDQN.  527 

It  is  stated  that  Pierce  "  pickled  the  head  in  a  pikin.' 
He,  however,  obtained  1^000  marks  as  his  reward.*  Dr. 
Reeves  found  that  there  was  a  local  tradition  that  O'Neill 
and  MacDonnell  fought  in  single  combat  at  a  small  mound 
which  is  near  the  Protestant  Church  of  Cushendun,  and  is 
named  Cruik  na  Dhuine,  it  is  half  a  mile  south  of  Bally- 
teerini.  It  is,  however,  almost  certain  that  "  the  ruinous 
church  near  unto  the  camp,"  where  Shane,  "  the  Proud," 
slumbers  in  oblivion,  is  Cross  Skreen.  If  ever  his  native 
land  repents  of  her  ingratitude  to  the  champions  of  her 
freedom,  some  monument  towering  over  the  bay  of  Cushen- 
dun will  mark  the  obscure  resting  place  to  which  his 
enemies  consigned  the  remains  of  the  Irish  Arminius. 

*Sydney  had  offered  by  proclamation  £1,000  for  O'Neill's  "  bodie, 
1,000  markes  for  his  heade,"  and  £500  "  to  him  that  shall  kill  him 
though  he  bring  neither  heade  nor  bodie. "  The  Act  for  the  Attainder 
of  Shane  O'Neale  recites  that  "Alexander  Oge,  after  the  bouchery 
handling  of  this  cruele  tyrant,  caused  his  mangled  carcase  to  be 
carried  to  an  old  ruinous  church  near  unto  the  camp,  where,  for 
lack  of  a  better  shroud,  he  was  wrapt  in  a  Kern's  old  shirt,  and 
miserably  interred.  .  .  .  After  being  four  dayes  in  earth  was 
taken  up  by  William  Piers,  and  his  heade  sundered  from  his  bodie 
was  brought  into  the  said  Lord  Deputy  at  Drogheda,  the  21st  of 
June,  1567,  and  from  thence  carried  into  the  city  of  Dublin,  where 
it  was  bodied  with  a  stake,  and  standeth  on  your  Majesties  Castle 
of  Dublin." 

Mr.  Froude,  though  he  errs  in  locality,  fixing  the  closing  scene 
"  beside  the  falls  of  Isnaleara,  where  the  black  valley  of  Glenarifife 
opens  into  the  sea,"  and  the  interment  in  Glenarra,  thus  graphically 
describes  the  tragedy  :— "  The  third  evening,  Monday,  the  2nd  of 
June,  after  supper,  when  the  wine  and  the  whiskey  had  gone  freely 
round,  and  the  blood  in  Shan's  veins  had  warmed  again,  Gillespie 
IM'Connell,  who  had  watched  him  from  the  first  with  an  ill-boding 
eye,  turned  round  upon  M 'Kevin  and  asked  scornfully  'whether  it 
was  he  who  had  bruited  abroad  that  the  lady  his  aunt  did  offer  to 
come  from  Scotland  to  Ireland  to  marry  with  his  master  ? '     M'Kevin, 


528  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

Near  the  ruins  of  Castle  Garra,*  thehistory  of  whicli  is 
unknown,  are  Standing  Stones  on  the  north  side  of  Milltown 
burn  which,  with  one  on  the  south  side  of  the  rivulet,  seem 
only  to  have  been  intended  to  mark  the  course  of  an  ancient 
road  and  indicate  a  ford  convenient  for  crossing  the  stream. 
Cushendun  (Cos-abhann-Duine — pronounced  Cush-awan- 
Duine),  "  the  foot  of  the  river  Dun,  has  displaced  the  older 
name  Bun-ahhann-Buine  (pronounced  Bun-awan-Duine), 
"  the  bottom  of  the  river  Dun,"  which  was  invariably  used 
in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  to  designate  the  landing  place  of 
the  Scots.  It  is  the  nearest  harbour  in  Ireland  to  any  port 
of  Great  Britain,  lying  opposite  to  the  point  of  the  Peninsula 
of  Kintyre. 

Grange  of  Innispollan.  This  grange  contains  only  934 
statute  acres,  and,  in  1881,  had  a  population  of  61,  of  whom 
58  were  Catholics.  The  site  of  the  ancient  church  of  this 
grange,  named  Killvallagh — perhaps  because  it  adjoined  the 
road  leading  through  the  glen  to  Cushenden — is  a  little 
north  of  Glendun  river,  in  Ardicoan.     There  is,  near  it,   a 

meeting  scorn  with  scorn,  said  '  that  if  his  aunt  was  Queen  of  Scotland 
she  might  be  proud  to  match  the  O'Neil.'  '  It  is  false  ! '  the  fierce 
Scot  shouted ;  '  my  aunt  is  too  honest  a  woman  to  match  with  her 
husband's  murderer.'  Shan,  who  was  perhaps  drunk,  heard  the 
words,  and,  forgetting  where  he  was,  flung  back  the  lie  in  Gillespie's 
throat.  Gillespie  sprung  to  his  feet,  ran  out  of  the  tent,  and  raised 
the  slogan  of  the  Isles.  A  hundred  dirks  flashed  into  the  moonlight, 
and  the  Irish,  wherever  they  could  be  found,  were  struck  down  and 
stabbed.  Some  two  or  three  found  their  horses  and  escaped  ;  all  the 
rest  were  murdered  ;  and  Shan  himself,  gashed  with  fifty  wounds, 
was  '  wrapped  in  a  kern's  old  shirt '  and  flung  into  a  pit,  dug  hastily 
among  the  ruined  arches  of  Glenarm." 

*The  castle  seems  to  occupy  the  site  of  a  Celtic  cashiol,  for  caves 
pass  under  it ;  one  in  the  direction  of  the  Standing  Stones,  and  another 
towards  the  north-west. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDUN.  52&i 

small  island  in  the  river,  which  may  account  for  Inis  in  th(. 
name  of  the  church,  though  no  indications  of  ancient  occupa- 
tion have  been  discovered  in  the  island.  The  site  of  the 
church  is  occupied  by  the  modern  Catholic  church ;  and  it 
is  the  only  site  of  an  ancient  church  in  the  diocese  which  is 
occupied  by  a  modern  Catholic  church.  In  a  field  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  road  is  a  stone  held  in  great  veneration 
by  the  people.  Into  it  are  sunk  two  hollows,  popularly  said 
to  be  the  marks  of  St.  Patrick's  knees,  hence,  it  is  named 
the  Gloonan  Stone,  from  the  Irish  word  Gluine  ('knees'). 
The  church  was  a  mensal  of  the  bishop  of  Connor.  The 
Terrier  enumerates  among  the  see-lands — "  In  InchpoUen 
the  temporalities  of  one  half  plow-land,"  which  was  let  to 
Sir  Randal  M'Donnell.  The  same  decument  adds  :  "  Innis- 
pollen  hath  a  little  mensal,  pays  to  the  Bishop  one  beef  and 
13/- ;  he  hath  agreed  50/-  per  ann."  In  the  Ulster  Visitation 
Book,  of  1622,  this  possession  of  the  see  is  entered — "Item 
the  mensalls  of  Innispollan,  and  Solour  is  set  to  the  Earle  of 
Antrym  for  60  years,  for  the  yearly  rent  of  £2  6s.  8d.  Ster. 
per  Ann."  These,  and  the  other  see-lands  rented  by  the 
earls  of  Antrim,  passed  to  the  Smith  family.  According  to 
the  Parliamentary  return  made  in  1833,  the  lands  of  Innis- 
pollan  (see  p.  72)  were  held  by  the  heirs  of  K.  Smith.  We 
cannot  ascertain  how  this  little  gi'ange  became  a  mensal. 
This  church  must  have  been  founded  by  St.  Patrick,  or 
some  other  bishop.  Could  it  have  belonged  to  the  Church 
of  Culfeightrin,  founded  by  St.  Patrick  (see  p.  463),  the 
parish  of  which  it  adjoins  on  the  south-western  extremity  1 
Or,  is  it  Inis  Altle,  of  Bishop  Senan,  whose  see  absorbed  that 
of  St.  Bolcan  ?  (see  p.  448)  or,  wdis'it Strath-patricTc,  founded 
by  St.  Patrick,  when  he  visited  "  the  glens  eastward  1 "  (see 
p.  522)      On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  is  the  townland 

2  I 


52530  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

of  Straid  (Strath),  and  there  is  the  popular  story  that  the  Saint 
prayed  at  the  Gloonan  stone,  but  the  early  history  of 
Innispollan  cannot  be  ascertained,  A  little  west  of  the 
church,  at  the  commencement  of  Craigagh  V/ood,  is  an 
altar,  built  of  stones,  which  had  been  used  for  the  celebra- 
tion of  Mass,  during  times  of  persecution.  On  it  is  a 
stone  on  which  are  sculptured  a  crucifix  and  some  inscrip- 
tion now  illegible.  It  is  said  that  this  stone  was  brought, 
about  a  century  ago,  from  a  ruined  church  in  Scotland  by 
the  owner  of  a  vessel,  named  O'Neill. 

Tke  Grange  of  Layd  lying  along  the  north  side  of  the 
Glendun  river  contains  7,733  acres,  mostly  of  mountainous 
land.  It  had,  in  1881,  a  population  of  221  of  whom  210 
were  Catholics.  In  Broughindrummin,  between  the  road 
and  the  river,  is  a  small  place,  measuring  about  25  by  20 
feet,  called  Killgarve,  where  the  bodies  of  unbaptized  chil- 
dren are  buried* 


*  In  1816  the  townlands  of  Knocknacrow,  Irragh,  Broughan- 
drummin  (Upper  and  Lower),  were  the  property  of  Hugh  S.  Boyd, 
Esq.  ;  Carnamaddy  and  Clyttaghrau,  of  Rev.  R.  Dobbs  ;  Kinune, 
of  James  Craig,  Esq.  ;  Drumfresky  and  Brockaghs,  of  Francis 
Turnly,  Esq.,  and  Beaghs,  of  N.  D.  Crommelin,  Esq.  These  con- 
stitute the  Grange  of  Layd.  At  the  same  time,  Shaninish  and 
Cloughy  were  the  property  of  R.  Dobbs,  Esq.  ;  Unshenagh;  of  H.  S- 
Boyd,  Esq.  ;  Clegnagh,  Callishnagh,  Drumoughran,  Gortaghraghan, 
Drumnasmear,  Straid,  Cloney,  Rananagh,  and  Knocknacarry,  of 
James  Craig,  Esq.  ;  and  Agolagh,  of  Rev.  R.  Dobbs.  See  Mason's 
Parochicil  Survey,  These,  with  Slean,  Dromore,  and  MuUarts,  are 
townlands  belonging  to  the  civil  parish  of  Layd,  which,  at  present, 
are  included  in  the  Catholic  parish  of  Cushendun.  All  these  town- 
lands  constituted  a  portion  of  the  estate  of  Daniel  M'Donnel, 
an  illegitimate  son  of  the  third  Earl  of  Antrim,  which  were 
forfeited  to  the  Crown  in  1688,  and  purchased,  in  1703,  by  the 
Hollow  Sword  Blade  Company,  who  afterwards  sold  it  to  diflferent 
purchasers. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDUN.  531 

CHURCHES. 

Mass  was  celebrated  during  times  of  persecution  on  a  large 
stone  in  the  ancient  graveyard  of  Killowen,  in  East  Torr, 
and  On  an  altar  built  of  dry  stonework  at  the  margin  of 
Craigagh  wood,  in  Inispollan.  This  altar,  which  is  standing 
to  this  day,  and  is  an  object  of  great  veneration  among  the 
people,  has  on  it  a  slab  on  which  is  beautifully  carved  a 
Crucifix  together  with  some  inscription  now  illegible.  The 
slab  was  brought  from  some  ruined  church  in  Scotland,  about 
a  century  ago,  by  a  personnamed  O'Neill, the  owner  of  a  vessel 
which  traded  with  that  country.  Mass  was  not  celebrated 
every  Sunday  at  these  places,  but  from  time  to  time  as  might 
be  convenient  for  the  parish  priest  of  Culfeightrin  and  his 
curate.  Father  Brennan  celebrated  Mass  once  a  month  at 
Craigagh  which  was  within  a  few  perches  of  the  termination 
of  his  parish.  About  the  year  1804  he  commenced  a  small 
building  ontheancient  foundationsof  the  church  of  Inispollan, 
in  the  townland  of  Ardicoan,  which  was  completed  in  about 
ten  years.  This  little  church  was  dedicated  under  the  invo- 
cation of  Saint  Colnmba  by  Dr.  Denvii",  on  the  2nd  of 
August,  1840;  the  Very  Rev.  D.  Curoe,  P.P.,  V.G. 
Drummaul,  preached  the  dedication  sermon.  It  was  rebuilt 
by  Father  Phelan  and  dedicated  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  in  1865, 
the  dedication  sermon  was  preached  by  Father  Charles 
M'Auley,  Professor,  Maynooth,  This  church  is  commonly 
called  the  church  of  Cushendun. 

The  church  in  the  townland* of  Coolranny,  commonly  called 
that  of  Cushleake,  was  erected  by  Father  Garland.  Father 
Starkey,  after  his  appointment  to  the  parish  of  Cushendun, 
or  Inispollan,  commenced  a  Mass-station  in  a  house,  used  as 
a  chapel  and  school,  on  the  Torr  side  of  Green  Hill,  and 
having  procured  the  site  laid  down  a  portion  of  the  building 


532  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

material  for  the  new  church,  but  its  erection  was  carried  out 
by  his  successor.  It  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Denvir  under  the 
invocation  of  St.  Mary,  Star  of  the  Sea,  on  the  16th  of 
September,  1855. 

PARISH  PEIESTS. 

In  April,  1848,  the  southern  portion  of  the  parish  of 
Culfeightrin,  together  with  the  Grange  of  Innispollan  and 
the  Grange  of  Layd,  was  separated  from  the  parish  of 
Culfeightrin,  then  vacant  by  the  death  of  Father  Walsh, 
and  constituted  into  a  separate  parish  called  the  Parish  of 
Inispollan,  or  Cushendun,  and  conferred  on  Father  Starkey, 
CO.,  Culfeightrin. 

The  Rev.  Patrick  Starkey  was  born  on  the  28th  of 
December,  1818,  in  the  town) and  of  Lisban,  parish  of 
Saul ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  Logic 
Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  August  25th,  1837;  was 
ordained  in  the  college  chapel  by  Dr.  CroUy,  at  Pentecost, 
1842  ;  was  curate  of  Saul  for  a  year  ;  was  appointed  to  the 
curacy  of  Glenravel,  on  the  3rd  September,  1845,  where  he 
remained  one  year  and  seven  months  ;  was,  for  a  short  time, 
officiating  in  Belfast;  was,  in  February,  1847,  curate  of 
Culfeightrin,  which  parish  he  administered  until  Api-il,  1848, 
when  he  was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Inispollan  or  Cushen- 
dun. In  March,  1852,  he  was  appointed  to  the  parish  of 
Glenarm. 

The  Rev.  John  Garland  succeeded ;  he  was  born  in 
Whitehouse ;  entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  August  25th,  1836  ;  was  ordained  in  the  college 
at  Pentecost,  1841  ;  was  appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Lame 
and  Carrickfergus ;  was  appointed  to  the  parish  of  Inis- 
pollan, or  Cushendun,  in  March,   1852.     He  resigned  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDUN.  533 

parish  in  1863.     On  his  tombstone,  in   the   Graveyard  of 
Inispollan,  is  inscribed — 

Erected 

By  the  Rev.  John  Garland,  P.P., 

Cushendun,  to  the  memory  of  his 

Mother,  Hannah,  who  departed  this 

life  the  25th  of  January,  1858,  aged  65  years. 

0 

Underneath  are  deposited  the  remains  of 

the  abovenamed  Rev.  John  Garland, 

who  died  the  31st  of  August,  1867, 

aged  51  years. 

R.I. P. 

For  some  time  before  the  resignation  of  the  Rev.  John 
Garland  the  parish  was  adminstered  by  the  Rev,  Patrick 
Phelan. 

Father  Phelan  was  a  native  of  the  diocese  of  Ossory ; 
having  completed  in  the  College  of  Kilkenny  his  studies  in 
Classics  and  philosophy,  he  affiliated  to  the  diocese  of  Down 
and  Connor,  and  entered  the  class  of  First  Year's  Theology 
in  the  College  of  Maynooth  on  the  16th  of  January,  1852  ; 
was  ordained  in  Clarendon  Street  Chapel,  Dublin,  by  Dr. 
Whelan,  Bishop  of  Bombay,  in  November,  1854;  was 
appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Glenavy ;  was  appointed  curate 
of  Lisburn  in  A.pril,  1855  ;  was  appointed  curate  of 
Ahoghill,  in  June,  1860;  was  appointed  on  the  2nd  of 
September,  1862,  to  Inispollan,  or  Cushendun,  at  first  as 
Administrator,  and  eventually  as  Parish  Priest.  He  was 
appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Saintfield,  February  20th,   1871. 

The  Rev.  Eugene  M'Cartan  succeeded  Father  Phelan. 
Father  M'Cartan  was  born  in  Burrenreagh,  in  the  parish  of 


534  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Bryansford,  on  the  20tli  of  March,  1829  ;  studied  in  the 
Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  on  the  26th  of  August,  1848,  was  ordained  in 
Clarendon  Street  Chapel,  Dublin,  by  Dr.  Whelan.  in  October, 
1852 ;  officiated  as  Curate  in  the  parishes  of  Kilcoo,  New- 
townai'ds,  Cushendall,  Loughguile,  Kilmore,  Lisburn,  and 
Bright ;  was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Inispollan,  or 
Cushendun,  on  the  20th  of  February,  1871.  Father 
M'Cartan  was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Antrim  on  the  28th 
of  July,  1883,  and  was  succeeded  in  Inispollan  by  Father 
O'Malley. 

The  Kev.  Michael  O'Malley  was  born  in  the  townland  of 
Towerhill,  parish  of  Cappamore,  Co.  Limerick,  in  1845. 
After,  studying  in  the  College  of  Thurles  he  entered  the 
Rhetoric  Class  in  the  College  of  Waterford,  in  1864  ;  was 
ordained  by  Dr.  Dorrian  in  St.  Malachy's  Church,  Belfast,  on 
the  Sunday  within  the  Octave  of  All  Saints,  1870;  was 
appointed  Curate  of  Lisburn  in  1870;  Curate  of  St.  Peter's, 
Belfast  in  1874;  Curate  of  Whitehouse  in  1882;  and 
Parish  Priest  of  Inispollan,  or  Cushendun,  on  the  28th  of 
July,  1883. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL. 

THE  parish  of  Cushendall,  with  the  exception  of  the  part 
included  in  the  parish  of  Cushendun  (see  p,  530),  has 
the  civil  parish  of  Layd,  together  with  the  civil  parish  of 
Ardclinis,  as  far  as  a  line  drawn  from  the  south  side  of 
Nappan,  along  the  south-east  side  of  Upper  Glenariff 
Movintain  to  the  river  Inver. 

Ecclesia-de-Lede. — "  The  church  of  Layd  " — is  valued  in 
the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  at  20/-.  The  Terrier 
enters — "  Ecclesia-de-Lade  hath  no  land  but  20  acres  of 
glebe  (it  pays)  Proxies,  20/-;  Refections,  20/-;  Synodals,  2/-;" 
and  the  Ulster  Visitation  Book  of  1622,  reports — *' Ecclesia- 
de-Laide — Tluynous."  The  ruined  walls  were  repaired  for  a 
Protestant  church  in  1 696.  "A  stone  which  had  been  in  the 
east  wall  bears  the  date  1696';  but  this  must  refer  to  the 
repair  or  restoration  of  the  church  in  that  year,  as  the 
general  character  of  the  building,  and  the  fact  that  the 
graves  outside  are  nearly  five  feet  higher  than  the  floor 
inside,  indicate  a  much  greater  age.  The  length  is  61  feet 
and  the  breadth  24  feet.  Attached  to  the  ruin,  at  the  west 
end,  is  a  square  building  24|  feet  long  and  of  the  same 
breadth  as  the  church.  Its  under  story  is  arched  above,  and 
has  of  late  been  converted  to  a  burial  vault.  The  chambei 
over  this  is  of  the  same  dimensions,  and  appears  to  have 
been  formerly  a  dormitory.  The  popular  belief  in  the 
neighbourhood  is  that  the  little  edifice  was  a  nunnery ;  and 


536  DIOCESE    OP   CONNOR, 

an  adjacent  well  is  styled  "The  Nun's  Well."  In  an  inter- 
leaved copy  of  Archdall's  Monasticon,  belonging  to  the  late 
S.  M'Skimmin,  of  Carrickfergus^  there  is  the  following  MS. 
note,  under  the  title  Layd: — "In  a  dell  near  the  shore, 
about  one  mile  from  Cushendall,  are  the  ruins  of  a  small 
religious  house,  said  to  have  been  founded  by  the  sept  of 
M'Fall,  or  MacFaul."  Tradition  assigns  the  name  of  St. 
Kieran,*  as  a  patron  saint  of  the  church." — Dr.  Reeves^  Ecd. 
Antiq.  p.  298.  The  graveyard  has  been  for  many  generations 
the  burial  ground  of  the  descendants  of  Coll^  eldest  son  of 
the  celebrated  Sir  Alaster  M'Donnell.  One  monument 
bears  the  following  inscription  : — 

To  the  memory  of  Coll  M'Donnell,  late  of  Kilmore,  and  family, 
who  is  here  buried,  aged  74  years,  died  the  25th  day  of  March,  1719. 

Here  lieth  the  remains  of  John  M'Donnell,  late  of  Kilmore,  who 
departed  the  25th  of  December,  1808,  aged  75  years 

Also,  Rose  Savage,  his  wife,  who  departed  this  life,  the  24th  of 
July,  1814,  aged  78  years. 

*  A  local  legend  relates  that  St.  Kieran,  at  a  time  when  his  com- 
munity in  Layd  was  hard  pressed  by  famine,  went  to  ask  the  prayers 
of  the  abbot  and  founder  of  Ardclinis.  He  related  to  him  their  sad 
distress,  and  told  him  that  another  month  must  pass  before  their  corn 
would  be  ripe.  See,  said  the  holy  abbot  the  grain  in  your  fields  is 
already  ripe.  St.  Kieran  looked  across  the  bay  and  his  heart  was 
gladdened  at  the  sight  of  the  yellow  corn.  He  hastened  back,  and  he 
and  his  monks,  with  thanksgiving,  reaped  the  miraculously  ripened 
com  on  the  land,  that,  to  this  day,  is  named  Moneyvart — Muine- 
bhearraid — "the  moor-land  of  the  reaping."  St  Kieran,  of  Layd, 
was  probably  the  St.  Kieran  so  much  venerated  in  the  west  of  Scot- 
land, whom  Dempster  strives  to  represent  as  a  native  of  Scotland  ; 
but  the  day  of  his  festival — 9th  of  September — proves  that  he  was 
St.  Kieran,  of  Clonmacnoise.  The  difficulty,  however,  is  to  show  at 
what  period  of  his  short  life  the  founder  of  Clonmacnoise  could  have 
done  such  missionary  work  in  Scotland  and  along  the  Antrim  coast. 
A  well  close  to  the  county  road  above  Layd  Churchyard  is  called 
St  Kieran's  Well. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  537 

Also  his  son,  Alexander  M'Donnell,  of  Rathlin,  aged  60  years,  who 
departed  this  life  the  13th  of  February,  1820. 

Also  to  the  memory  of  said  John's  eldest  son,  Coll,  lost  at  sea,  2'4th 
of  June,  ]  820,  aged  63  years. 

Also  said  John's  fourth  son,  Archibald,  late  an  officer  in  the  Royal 
Navy,  died  21st  February,  aged  77  years. 

Also  said  John's  sixth  son,  John,  died  February,  18-41,  aged 
69  years. 

Also  said  John's  fifth  son,  Randal,  of  Kilmore,  Glenariffe,  died 
14th  of  August,  1854.  aged  82  years. 

Also  Margaret  Ann,  daughter  of  Alexander  M'Mullin,  Esq.,  of 
Cabra  House,  County  of  Down,  and  wife  of  Alexander  M'Donnell, 
Esq.,  of  Dublin  and  Kilmore. 

Another  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  dis- 
tinguished physician  and  antiquarian,  Dr.  James  M'Donnell, 
of  Belfast,  has  inscribed  on  it — 

Also  in  memory  of  Michael,*  father  of  said  James  ;  and  of 
Alexander,  father  of  Michael ;  and  of  Coll,  father  of  Alexander,  and 
son  of  Major  General  Sir  Alexander  M'CoU  MacDonnell,  knight  of 
the  field,  whose  other  son.  Captain  Archibald,  likewise  rests  in  this 
churchyard. 

On  a  line  with  these  graves  is  that  of  Father  Daniel 
M'Donnell,  the  inscription  on  which  will  be  given  when 
we  are  treating  of  the  parish  priests  of  Layd.  An  old  castle 
in  Layd  belonged  to  the  M'Neill  family. 

Cushendall  was  formerly  named  Bunandall — Bun-abhann- 
Dhalla — '  the  bottom  of  the  river  Dall,'  which  has  changed 
into  the  present  name,  Cos-abhann-Dalla — '  the  foot  of  the 
river  Dall.'     The  Dall,  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  rivers 

*  After  the  death  of  Michael,  his  wife,  who  was  a  Protestant, 
reared  her  son,  Dr.  M'Donnell,  a  Protestant,  and  his  descendants  do 
not  belong  to  the  faith,  for  which  their  ancestor.  Sir  Alaster,  or 
Alexander,  battled  so  heroically.  Dr.  M'Donnell's  son.  Dr.  John,  in 
his  Ulster  Civil  War  of  1641,  Dublin  1879,  as  bound  by  clanship 
and  kinship,  has  ably  vindicated  the  character  of  his  ancestor,  that 
was  so  fouly  caluminated  by  ignorance  and  prejudice. 


538  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

flowing  down  the  glens  of  Ballyeman  and  Glenaan  empties 
itself  into  the  sea  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  the  town.  The 
government  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  in  one  of  its  schemes  for  the 
settlement  of  English  planters  in  the  county  of  Antrim, 
intended  to  have  given  Burney  DaJl  to  Henry  Knowles,  or 
Knollys,  vice-chamberlain  and  treasurer  of  the  household  of 
the  Queen.  Surgeon  Richardson  named  the  town  Newtown- 
glens,  but  when  the  late  Mr.  Turnley  became  possessor  of  it 
he  restored  its  former  name.  In  the  commencement  of  last 
century  the  town  consisted  of  only  six  or  eight  cabins.  The 
improvement  was  principally  owing  to  Mr.  Francis  Turnley, 
a  gentleman  who  went  out  in  early  life  to  China,  to  till  a 
situation  which  his  father  procured  for  him,  in  1796,  He 
remained  in  China  and  the  East  till  1801,  but  during  his 
stay  in  the  East  he  realized  £70,000,  or  £80,000,  and  on  his 
return  he  purchased  two  estates,  one  at  Cushendall,  for  which 
he  paid  £24,000,  and  another  at  Drumnasole,  in  the  adjoining 
parish  of  Ardclinis,  for  which  he  paid  £9,500.  Though 
eccentric,  and  perhaps  demented,  he  effected  extraordinary 
improvements  in  buildings  and  roads  on  his  property.  "A 
curious  square  building  called  the  Tower  stands  at  the  angle 
of  two  streets,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  town.  It  was  built 
in  1809  by  Mr.  Turnley  and  is  used  as  a  prison.  It  is  20 
feet  square  at  the  base  inclining  as  it  rises  to  40  feet.  It 
contains  four  stories  and  has  projecting  windows,  as  if  for 
defence.*     Orel.  Surv.  MS.     Court  Mac  Martin  was  the  site 

*  The  Tower  was  the  great  object  of  Mr.  Turnley's  thoughts  ; 
among  his  papers  were  instructions  given  to  Dan  M 'Bride,  an  army 
pensioner,  whom  he  appointed  its  guard.  It  was  always  to  be 
provisioned  for  a  year  ;  it  was  to  have  a  permanent  "  garrison  of  one 
man,"  who  was  not  to  leave  it  night  or  day  ;  it  was  to  be  armed  with 
one  musket,  a  bayonet,  a  case  of  pistols,  and  a  pike,  thirteen  feet  long, 
having  a  cross  of  wood  or  iron  on  its  handle,  so  that  it  could  not  be 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  539 

of  a  castle  said  to  have  been  erected  by  a  son  of  Martin  Mac 
Eoin,  or  Bisset :  it  occupied  the  site  of  an  older  Celtic  fort. 
"Near  the  town  is  a  small  well  called  Toberdoney,  which 
was  visited  for  cure  of  complaints  chiefly  of  children.  A 
little  pebble  is  thrown  into  it  and  a  bit  of  cloth  with  a  pin 
stuck  in  it  is  left  beside  it,  but  the  practice  is  partly  giveoi 
over.  The  water  running  from  it  assists  in  turning  a  covn- 
mill."     Ord,  Sur.  MS. 

Lands  in  Layd  and  the  Grange  of  Layd  were  leased  in 
1687  by  the  third  Earl  of  Antrim  to  his  illegitimate  son, 
Daniel  M'Donnell,  for  a  period,  it  was  alleged,  of  500  years, 
at  the  rent  of  =£5  per  annum.  These  lands  are  described 
in  the  "  Book  of  Postings  "  in  the  British  Museum,  copied 
by  Mr.  Pinkerton  for  Mr.  Benn  (see  MacDonnells  p.  361) 
as: — "Glendunn,  613  acres.  Mountain,  5,085  acres; 
Agholagh,  34  acres;  Ramaigh,  36  Acres,  Mountain,  20 
acres  ;  Dromore,  48  acres  ;  Mountain  common  to  Dromore, 
Dromunasmeare  and  Glencorp,  185  acres;  Gortacreggan,  48 
acres  ;  §  Glencorp,  172  acres  ;  Unshinagh  and  Clogagh,  272 
acres;  Taunaghdressagh,  25  acres;  Noon,  a  mountain  being 
common  to  other  lands,  836  acres  ;  Dunurgan,  46  acres  ; 
Strade,  34  acres.  Mountain,  16  acres;  Colingsah,  70  acres; 
Unshinagh;  47  acres;  Clogagh,  50  acres;  Money  vert,  51 
acres  ;  Cloughglass,  17  acres  ;  Carnanee,  18  acres;  Ballyna- 
togher,  18  acres;  Gortaclee,  20  acres;  Ballynehavill,  38 
acres ;  Ballyfadds,   46   acres ;   Clousendall    (Cushendall)    88 

pulled  through  the  hole  guarding  the  doorways.  The  guard  was  to 
ring  the  bell  at  nine  o'clock  every  night,  and  it  was  not  to  be  rung  at 
any  other  time  except  as  an  alarm-bell.  IVIr.  Turnley  died,  in  1845, 
at  his  residence,  Eichmond  Lodge,  Holywood.  His  will  made  in 
1837  filled  with  most  eccentric  provisions,  was  contested  by  the 
representatives  of  his  son,  a  lunatic,  and  was  set  aside  at  the 
Summer  Assizes  of  1848  for  the  County  of  Antrim. 


540  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

acres ;  Glasmullin,  half-quarter,  50  acres,  Mountain,  47 
acres  ;  More  Mountain,  353  acres ;  Tully,  57  acres."  Daniel 
M'Donnell  was  a  captain  in  the  third  Earl's  regiment.  On 
th^-  defeat  of  James  TI,  Captain  M'Donnell  accompanied  the 
Kitig  to  the  continent  and  never  returned.  His  estate  was 
forfeited,  and  the  "  Book  of  Postings  "  states  that  there  were 
then  (1701)  a  good  corn-mill,  four  farm  houses,  and  nine 
cabins  in  Cushendall ;  and  on  the  whole  estate  there  were 
27  farm  houses,  some  few  of  which  had  a  barn  and  a  stable, 
and  66  cabins.  The  estate  produced  in  1702  a  yearly  rent 
of  £126  6s.  6d.  It  was  purchased  by  the  Hollow  Sword 
Blade  Company,*  for  £2,596.  The  money  was  paid  in 
debentures  and  the  rent  and  reversion  secured  to  the  Earl. 
Lord  Antrim  asserted  that  the  lease,  made  to  Daniel 
M'Donnell,  was  for  only  twelve  years.  The  tenants  having 
attorned  to  him  in  1700,  he  continued  in  possession  until 
1720,  when  it  was  recovered  from  him  by  law.  A  paper  on 
the  subject  addressed  to  Lord  Antrim,  in  1735,  by  John 
MacKay,  which  is  preserved  in  Glenarm  Castle,  concludes 
thus : — 


I  went  off  (to  Dublin)  in  company  with  Captain  Archibald 
M'Donnell,  the  two  Colls,  Mr.  John  Stewart  and  Mr.  O'Hagan, 
in  order  to  prove  the  buying  of  evidence,  but  were  not  ex- 
amined, and  the  bribing  the  jury  can  be  proved  by  Neil  Mackay 
and  Pat  Calderwood,  and  also  by  examination  of  Daniel  Mackay, 
took  by  Mr.  Horan  and  his  clerk  in  Ballintoy." — See  Hills 
M'Donnells. 

*This  company  was  "for  making  hollow  sword  blades.  These 
swords  had  hollow  backs,  in  which  quicksilver  was  put  in  order  that, 
by  rushing  to  the  point,  it  might  add  an  impetus  to  the  blow.  At 
page  205  it  is  stated,  that  Sir  Alaster  M'Donnell's  sword  is  said  to 
have  a  steel  apple,  running  on  a  groove  along  the  back,  for  the  same 
purpose. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  541 

The  estate  purchased  by  Hollow  Sword  Blade  Company 
was  sold  in  townlands  to  various  purchasers.* 

*  The  proprietors  of  the  townlands  in  the  parish  of  Layd  in  1816  as 
given  in  Mason's  Parochial  Survey  were  (see  also  p.  530)  A  lexander 
M'Auley*  (Gornig,  Tarney,  Fallinerlea,  Falnaglass,  Ballybrack, 
Tavnyhorne,  Tavnaughbrack,  Cloughy,  Glenville,  Ballyvooly, 
Killoughag,  Barard,  Hony's  farm,  Corlea,  Mullinaskeag,  Tavnahary, 
Gartuagross,  Low  Clough,  Fallmacrilly,  Turcilly),  Bev.  B.  Dobhs 
(Leany,  Warren,  Ballyfad),  James  Craig  (Tromra  Carnasherin, 
C'ashlin,  Una,  Drimnacur,  Parkmore,  Tavnahoney,  Tavnaghdressagh, 
Tobervine,  Barachilly,  Duroy),  Hugh  S.  Boyd  (Aughechu,  Redbay 
Carnanane,  Allenebough,  Waterford,  Ballymado,  Nockraoy, 
Carnahagh,  Gurtlean,  Gortafeean,  Lower  Altmore,  Upper  Altmore), 
Mr.  Thomson  (Sevaugh,  Timpan),  Francis  Turnly  (Brockaughs, 
Driniferskey,  Cloughglass,  Cosiskob,  Faughill,  Legg,  Cushendall, 
Tully,  Cloughglass),  Edward  M'JSIeiU  (Layd  Conforfey),  Michael 
Black  (Moneyvart),  Lord  M.  Kerr  (Legdrenagh,  Gortin,  Fallinlea, 
Glassmullin,  BaUinlig,  Killmore,  Ballynamella,  Ballyhuriraan, 
Ballynahavill,  Lower  Tavnahorna,  Upper  Tavnahorna,  Parkgarve, 
Killymean,  Clough,  Gartacloughan,  Low  Clough,  Glenane,  Eshery), 
ALrs.  Gibbons  (Dunegall,  Gortmacmellan,  Foriff,  Boyanagh),  Samuel 
Boyd  (Gortaclee,  Mount  Edwards). 

*These  lands  were  granted  by  Sir  Randal  M'Donnell  to  Bryan  Boy 
M'Cawly.  On  a  tomb  belonging  to  this  family  in  the  graveyaid  of 
Layd,  it  is  stated  that  the  first  of  the  family  was  Alexander  M'Auley 
of  Ferdincaple  (intended  for  Ardincaple,  Dumbartonshire),  who  came 
over  in  the  Scotch  Army  of  Charles  I.  This  is  obviously  untrue,  and 
was  probably  intended  to  conceal  that  the  family  had  been 
Catholic.  In  Petty's  Survey,  however,  the  owner  of  this  estate  at 
the  commencement  of  the  war  of  1641  is  entered  as  "  Donagh  Groome 
M'Gawle,  LP.  (Irish  Papist)."  The  Inquisitiones  Ultoniai  enter  his 
name  as  "  Donell  Groome  M'Cawly."  He  was  the  son  of  Bryan  boy. 
Groome  is  intended  for  Crtiamac/i — "Sullen."  Alexander,  his  son, 
married  Alice,  daughter  of  Archibald  Stewart  of  Balliutoy,  and  the 
family  became  Protestant.  Alexander's  great  grandson  was  owner  of 
the  estate  in  1816,  he  was  the  eldest  brother  of  Hugh  M'Auley  (died  in 
1794),  who  assumed  the  name  of  Boyd  and  was  believed  by  manypeople, 
both  before  and  after  his  death,  to  have  been  the  author  of  the  cele- 
brated letters  signed  Jun  ius.  The  M '  Auley 's  are  very  numerous  through- 
out the  Glens,  and  with  very  few  exceptions,  they  are  all  Catholics. 


542  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  river  Dall,  where  it  falls  into  the 
sea,  is  the  site  of  a  small  castle  named  Gashlancarragh.     In 
the    townland   of    Kilnadore,    near    the   junction    of    the 
Bally  mena  road  with  the  old  road  to  Red-bay,  is  an  ancient 
graveyard   still    used,  but    all    traces    of   the    church    have 
disappeared.     A  hill  in  Knockenny,  named  on  the  Ord.  Sur. 
Map  Crooknacrighe (Croc-wo-croic^e — "gallows  hill"),  is  said 
to  be  so  named  because  criminals  condemned  at  Court-Mac- 
Martin,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  were  executed  at 
this  place.     About  a  statute  mile  west  of  it,  in  the  townland 
of  Murroo,  or  Lower  Gortnagross, — "  the  field  of  the  cross" 
is  Killvaroo.     "  It  is  a   little  spot  beside  the  stream  which 
bounds  the  townland,  but   without  any   marks  of  graves. — 
Kilnaval  is  a  square  patch   in  a   field  ^  in  the  townland  of 
Cloghs.     It  has  been  occasionally  used  for  the  interment  of 
still-born  children,  and  remains  uncultivated."    Reeves's  Eccl. 
Antiq.  p.p.  298-9.     At  the  distance  of  half  a  mile  west  of 
Kilnaval   is   a  ruined   cromleach,  also   in  the   townland   of 
Cloghs.     The  chamber  is  four  feet  long  and  four  feet  three 
inches  wide,  formed  of  six  blocks  of  stone,  but  the  cap-stone 
has  been  thrown  ofi"  the  supporters.     Mr.  Gray  has  given  a 
drawing  of  this  monument  in  his  Cromleachs  of  Antrim  arid 
Down.     Near  it  formerly   stood   another  cromleach,  but  it 
was  blown  up  with  gunpowder  to  supply  materials  for  build- 
ing a  house.     These  stone  monuments  have  given  name  to 
the    townland.       In    Lubitavish,    the    adjoining    townland, 
there   is   a   rude   stone   circle,    in    which   there    are   about 
34  great  stones  j  they  are  grouped  into  two  chambers,  each 
about  five   feet  long,   bounded  by  large  stones,    and  about 
half  of  the   surrounding   circle  'composed   of    similar  stones. 
A    drawing   of   this    monument,    which    is    locally    named 
"  Ossian's  Grave,"  is  given  in  the  Guide  to  Belfast,  d'c,  by  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  543 

Naturalists^  Field  Cluh.  "West  from  Cloghs,  and  at  the 
extreme  boundary  of  the  parish,  is  the  mountain  of  Orra, 
the  site  of  the  great  battle  between  the  M'Quillins  and  the 
M'Donnells,  so  celebrated  in  local  legends.  Two  cairns  on 
this  mountain,  erected  at  an  elevation  of  1,500  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  and  named  respectively  the  Grave  of 
Hugh  AI^Felim  and  the  Grave  of  Hugh  M^ Felines  servant, 
(see  p.p.  16  and  98),  are  associated  in  popular  stories  with 
events  connected  with  the  battle.  On  the  south  eastern 
slope  of  Trostan  are  the  remains  of  some  pile  of  stones, 
known  in  the  locality  as  Gashlin  Surley  Boy ;  it  is  said  to 
have  been  erected  by  the  McDonnells  and  the  M'Auleys, 
but  to  such  a  state  of  ruin  is  it  reduced  that  it  is  doubtful 
whether  it  was  a  castle  or  a  cairn.  M'Skimmin  considered 
it  a  cairn,  the  name,  however,  would  seem  to  indicate  that 
it  was  an  ancient  Cashiol  reduced  to  ruin.  Retreat  Castle, 
the  history  of  which  is  unknown,  is  a  ruin,  near  where  the 
the  Ballymena  and  Cushendall  Railway  at  present  terminates, 
in  the  townland  of  Cloghglass,  "green  castle,"  which  is 
named  from  it.  The  beautiful  and  conspicuous  mountain 
of  Lurigedan,  a  mass  of  basalt  about  300  feet  in  thickness, 
resting  on  a  stratum  of  indurated  chalk,  rises  to  the  height 
of  1,154  feet  above  the  sea-level,  and  presents  a  flat  and 
verdant  summit,  such  as  would  have  been  selected  for  an 
acropolis  by  the  Pelasgic  city-builders  of  early  Greece.  The 
facilities  for  defence,  which  the  great  height  and  abrupt  face 
of  Lurigedan  presented,  did  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  rath 
builders  of  ancient  Erin  ;  its  summit  near  the  north-eastern 
edge  is  crowned  by  a  rath  ;  and  the  remains  of  a  great  dike, 
enclosing  about  40  acres  of  the  hill,  are  still  to  be  seen. 
Bronze  and  stone  weapons  are  frequently  found  on  it.  Local 
popular  stories  aseociate  the  military  remains  with  the  Fenian 


544  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

warriors  ;  the  fort  is  named  Dun-CIannamorna,  and  the  trench 
is  Lignafenia.  The  legends  of  Layd  relate  that  both  Fin 
MacCoul  and  Ossian  were  born  on  Lurigedan,  and  with 
equal  credibility  they  have  imposed  on  the  Stone  Circle  in 
Lubatavish  the  name  of  Ossian's  Grave.  A  little  north  of 
Lurigedan  fort  is  one  in  Knockans,  and  west  of  that  is  the 
site  of  another  in  Ballyfad. 

The  valley  of  Glenariff  lies  between  the  east  side  of  Luri- 
gedan and  the  mountains  in  the  parish  of  Ardclinis.  The 
ancient  graveyard  of  Kilmore,  exclusively  used  by  Catholics, 
is  close  to  the  road  that  traverses  the  side  of  the  valley. 
There  are  now  no  traces  of  the  church  ;  but  the  holy  water 
font,  the  basin  of  which  is  six  inches  in  diameter  and  nine 
inches  in  depth,  still  remains.  There  is  also  a  flat  stone,  on 
which  St.  Patrick  is  said  to  have  celebrated  mass.  The 
graveyard  is  now  reduced  to  one  fourth  of  its  original  size. 
Outside  of  it  is  a  lai-ge  flat  stone,  under  which,  it  is  said, 
friars  are  interred.  At  one  time  it  was  intended  to  remove 
the  stone,  but  large  rosary  beads  being  found  immediately 
under  it  caused  the  undertaking  to  be  abandoned.  Colonel 
M'Donnnell*  has  now  permanently  prevented  the  desecration 
of  the  grave. 

*Colonel  John  M'Donuell,  J. P.,  D  L.,  of  Ballinlig,  in  the  townland 
of  Kilmore,  is  the  senior  Catholic  representative  of  Sir  Alexander  (or 
Alister)  M'Donnell,  Knight  of  the  Field,  the  chivalrous  Catholic  hero 
of  the  Montrose  wars.  In  the  same  townland  also  resides  Mr. 
Alexander  M'Donnell,  father  of  a  numerous  family  ;  so  that  the  senior 
branch  of  the  Antrim  M'Donnells  is  likely  to  be  long  represented  by 
Catholics  in  the  lovely  vale  of  Glenariff.  The  Colonel's  father, 
Randal,*  and  Alexander's  father,  Charles,  were  brothers — sons  of 
John,  son  of  Alexander,  son  of  Coll  (surnamed  A  VouUti)  who  was  the 
eldest  son  of  Sir  Alexander.  (For  accounts  of  Sir  Alaster  and  his 
ancestors  see  pp.  16,  18,  80,  135,  199,  206). 

*An  obituary  notice  of  Randal  is  given  in  the  Illustrated  London  News,  Sept. 
2nd,  1854.      "This  gentleman    .    .    .     was  the  fifth  son  of  John  M'Donnell,  of 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  545 

The  rains  of  Ked  Bay  castle  stand  on  tlie  north  side  of 
the  bay,  about  240  feet  from  the  water  and  on  an  eminence 
of  about  122  feet  high,  which  was  formerly  named,  from  its 
difficult  ascent,  Crooksnavick  ( Croc-snamhaigh — "  creeping 
hill.")  It  commands  a  view  of  the  coast  north  to  Cushendun 
Bay,  south  to  Garron  Point,  and  west  up  the  entire  valley 
of  Glenariff.  This  castle  was  also  known  by  the  name  Uamh- 
dearg  (pronounced  Ooav) — "  red  cave  " — from  the  cave  over 
which  it  is  built.  It  was  probably  erected  by  the  early 
English  invaders,  but  it  became  the  principal  residence  of 
James  M'Donnell,  an  elder  brother  of  Sorley,  where  right 
proudly  he  lorded  it,  receiving  letters  from  France  on  matters 
of  state,  and  refusing  to  treat  with  the  highest  officials  unless 
on  his  own  terms.  Captain  William  Piers,  Constable  of 
Carrickfergus,  writes.  May  4th,  1561,  to  the  Lord  Justice, 
telling  that  he  sent  to  James  M'Donnell,  at  Red  Bay,  to 
complain  that  Sorley  would  not  give  him  military  assistance  : 
"  James  M'Donnell  used  very  evil  talk  against  the  Queen, 
and  said  that  the  Queen  of  Scotland  was  rightful  heir,  .  , 
James  M'Donnell  has  many  carpenters  come  out  of  Scotland 
to  build  him  a  house  in  Red  Bay."  On  the  4tii  of  April, 
1563,  James  writes  from  Red  Bay  to  Lord-Lieutenant 
Sussex,  that  he  had  supplied  Piers  with  what  he  desired,  but 
that  he  had  given  an  order  to  Sorley  not  to  go  into  the 
presence  of  the  Lord-Lieutenant  until  the  Queen's  grant  be 

Glenariff,  whose  grandfather.  Coll,  rtjtired  there  after  the  death  of  his  fjither,  the 
celebrated  Lieutenant-Geueral  Sir  Alexander— better  known  as  Coll  Kitto— who 
C'ommanded  Lord  Antrim's  Irish,  under  the  Duke  of  Montrose  in  Scotland,  and 
was  afterwards  killed  in  the  battle  of  Knock-an-Noss,  County  Cork.  .  .  .  The 
M'Donnells  of  Glenariff  are  descended  from  the  Lords  of  the  Isles,  who  were  allied 
by  ties  of  blood  and  marriage  with  the  Stuarts,  Kings  of  Scotland.  Randal  MDon- 
nell,  Esq.  .  .  .  leaves  three  daughters  and  two  sons  ;  the  latter  are  Alexander 
of  Great  Denmark  Street,  Dublin,  and  John,  a  Captain  in  the  Cape  Mounted 
Riflemen,  and  a  distinguished  officer  in  the  late  Kaffir  war."  Alexander,  of  Great 
Denmark  Street,  is  now  represented  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Silvertop. 

2  K 


546  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

delivered  :  he  "  is  loth  to  permit  his  brother  to  come  there 
until  the  ugly  murder  of  the  sons  of  M'Randal  Boy  be 
revenged ;  "  or,  in  other  words,  until  the  Viceroy  would 
hang  Andrew  Brereton,  who  had  assassinated  two  M'Donnells 
while  he  entertained  them  at  supper  in  Ardglass,  whither 
they  had  come  to  levy  rent  due  by  MacArtan  to  their 
brothex'-in-law,  Con  O'Neill,  first  Earl  of  Tyrone.  However, 
"  certain  articles  agreed  upon  between  James  M'Donnell  and 
W.  Peers,  Red  Bay,  April  7th,  15t]3,"  were  sent  to  Sussex, 
who  writes  to  James  that  he  had  forwarded  this  to  the  Queen, 
and  '•  doubts  not  but  her  Highness  will  return  her  letters 
patent ;  and  prays  him  to  cause  Sorley  Boy  to  send  to  Armagh 
the  rising  out  specified  in  the  articles."  Gerot  Flemmyinge, 
secretary  of  Shane  O'Neill,  in  a  letter  to  Sir  Thomas  Cusake 
describes  the  destruction  of  EeJ  Bay  castle  by  O'Neill,  which 
occurred  on  the  3(>th  of  April,  1565  : 

"  That  night  he  camped  at  Cloghdonaghy  (Clough)  aforesaid.  In 
the  morning  after,  being  Monday,  he  departed  thens,  towards  Owde- 
I'ick  ( (Jaimh-dearg,  pronounced  nearly  Ow-deiick)  in  the  Guilines 
(M'Quillin's)  country,  to  James  M'C'onill,  his  own  towne,  which 
towne  he  wone  that  same  day.  This  day  landid  James  himself  with 
all  his  company  in  Ireland  ;  and  after  that  O'Neill  wone  the  towne, 
and  saw  that  it  stood  in  such  a  place  that  it  was  out  of  his  reche  to 
he[ie  them  of  his  men,  to  whom  he  thought  to  comitt  the  kyping 
thereof  of  his  own  men  ;  he  bracke  it  to  the  grounde  rather  than  the 
Skotts  should  againe  enjoye  the  same.  He  campid  that  night  in  the 
said  towne,  and  on  the  morrow,  being  May  day,  he  removid  thence 
to  a  place  callid  Nyw  Castell  (Ballycastle)." 

O'Neill  himself,  describing  this  exploit  in  a  Latin  letter  to 
the  Lord  Justice  Arnold,  says  : 

"Thence  we  advanced  the  following  day  through  their  valleys 
and  protected  routes  (down  Glenariff)  until  we  came  to  the  castle  of 
James  M'Donnell,  called  Uaim  Aderig,  which,  with  the  town,  we 
burned,  and  afterwards  plundered  all  the  adjoining  district." 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  547 

The  castle  seems  to  have  been  repaired  shortly  afterwards. 
Captain  Cheston  writes,  March  5th,  1568,  from  Glenarm  to 
Piers,  requesting  "  a  company  to  be  sent  to  the  Red  Bay  ; 
forty  men  may  keep  it  from  five  hundred." — Carew  Papers. 

The  vicinity  of  the  old  castle  was  the  scene  of  many  a 
bloody  battle  during  the  long  war  against  Sorley.  Mr.  Hill 
gives,  from  the  State  Paper  Office,  London,  Martin  Couche's 
Relation  of  the  Journey  to  the  Woods,  called  the  Ghjnnes, 
against  the  usurping  Scots,  in  1584  : 

"The  XIII  of  November  laste  the  garrisons  of  Knockfergus  and 
Collrane,  the  number  of  fyve  hundrethe  foote  and  one  hundrethe 
horsemen,  English,  together  with  so  many  Irishe  on  foot  and  horse- 
backe,  joyning  our  forces,  and  drawing  ourselves  towards  the  Glyne. 
As  soon  as  wee  entered  the  sayde  Glyne  the  enimys  beinge 
XXX-:Ei  (30  score)  bow-men,  or  neare  there  abouts,  charged  the  rere- 
warde  of  our  battayle  very  hoatlie,  whereuponn  the  skyrmyshe  was 
very  sharpe.  This  same  skyrmyshe  contynewed  for  the  space  of  one 
haulfe  hower,  or  there  abouts,  wherin  was  slayne  of  our  companie  of 
English  V  or  VI,  and  wounded  besydes  one  hundredthe  and  upwards, 
insomych  wee  were  enforced,  whether  hitt  were  for  want  of  govern- 
ment or  otherwise  for  lake  of  breathe,  to  retire  shamefullie  ;  and  the 
said  Skottes  pursewinge  us  verie  desparatlie  at  the  verie  skyrte  of 
the  woode,  where  they  gave  over,  and  so  made  our  retreate  to  ye 
campe,  being  within  one  Jinglishe  myle  of  ye  Redd  Baye." 

Couche  adds  that  on  the  next  day  they  learned  that  the 
Scots  had  41  killed  and  ,26  deadly  wounded ;  but  he  is 
suspiciously  silent  regarding  the  English  loss.  Eventually 
the  old  castle,  with  their  other  possessions,  were  conferred 
on  the  M'Donnells  by  patent.  Sir  Jolui  Chichester,  then 
Governor  of  Carrickfergus,  writes  to  Burghley,  in  1597, 
that  Sir  James  M'Donnell  and  his  brother  Randal  had 
broken  down  their  castles  of  Glenarm  and  "  Red  Bawne," 
(Red  Bay)  and  were  fortifying  Dunluce.  It  would  seem, 
however,  that  the  Earls  of  Antrim  continued  to  appoint 
constables  for  their  castle  of  Red  Bay  when  tlie  duties  of  such 


548  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

officials  were  merely  nominal.  In  1G37  Alexander  Stewart, 
of  Red  Bay,  and  his  son  John  obtained  a  lease  from  Randal, 
Earl  of  Antrim,  of  the  constableship  and  keeping  of  the  castle 
and  house  of  Red  Bay,  with  the  town  custom,  market  custom, 
and  lands  thereof ;  also,  20  acres  in  Garvah,  35  acres  of 
Mayntbe,  5  of  Cloney,  15  of  Ballyvistoe,  10  of  Gurterlie,  90 
of  Aghoshie,  20  of  Knockmayne,  and  20  of  Clouglilass,  at 
the  rent  of  £24  per  ann.,  with  £2  12s.  of  Crown  rent,  for 
the  life  of  Alexander  Stewart,  and  after  his  death  the  lands  to 
be  held  by  his  wife  and  son,  in  fee-farm,  in  as  ample  a  manner 
as  they  had  been  held  by  his  father,  John  M'Robert  Stewart, 
reserving,  however,  the  usual  royalties,  &c. — Hills 31' Donnells. 
Richard  Dobbs,  in  his  Descrijytion  of  the  County  of  Antrim, 
written  in  1683,  says  of  the  castle,  that  it  "has  been  a 
handsome  pile,  built  of  red  freestone.  .  .  .  Into  the  bay 
falls  a  river,  at  the  foot  of  it  boats  have  a  small  harbour  ; 
and  hard  by  the  boats  are  three  large  caves  in  the  rocks  of 
freestone,  and  open  to  the  sea,  wherein  poor  people  commonly 
live  and  hath  paid  hearth-money."* 

*One  of  these  caves  is  fitted  as  a  store  for  fisliing  nets,  &c.,  and 
anotlier  as  a  smith's  forge  ;  and  one  is  named  Nanny's  Gave,  from 
one  Ann  Murray,  who  passed  a  solitary  existence  for  fifty  years  in 
that  damp  and  dreary  cavern — where  to  have  spent  twenty-four  hours 
would  have  taken  the  life  of  an  ordinary  being— yet  she  lived  to  the 
age  of  100  years,  and  on  the  23rd  of  March,  1847,  was  laid  in  the  old 
graveyard  of  Kilmore.  She  could  boast  that  the  greater  part  of  the 
nobility  of  the  three  kingdoms  had  visited  her  in  her  cave.  She 
was  the  original  from  whom  Banim,  in  his  novel  of  "  Boyne  Water," 
drew  his  ' '  Onagh  of  the  Cave  ;  "  and  Mrs.  Hall,  and  all  the  "  Guides 
to  the  Causeway  "  invariably  worked  her  into  a  chapter.  In  1849, 
while  quarrying  for  stones  for  the  quay  at  Red  Bay,  the  workmen 
came  on  what  seemed  to  have  been  a  cave,  thetopand  sides  of  which  had 
fallen  in  through  time.  In  it  were  found  the  remains  of  about  six 
skeletons,  two  bronze  axes,  one  small  stone  axe,  and  two  silver  coins, 
one  of  Berhtulf,  King  of  Mercia,   a.d.   839.      The  legend  on  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  549 

Civil  Parish  of  Ardclinis.  After  crossing  what  Richard 
Dobbs,  in  1868,  called  "a  very  rich,  conaywarren  of  the 
Earl  of  Antrim's,"  the  first  place  of  interment  that  presents 
itself  is  Killyhurragh,  in  the  townland  of  Dnimnacur.  "  It 
is  a  circular  space,  about  21  yards  in  diameter,  and  enclosed 
by  a  low  cashel.  One  headstone  formed  of  a  large  boulder 
bears  the  inscription  of  a  rude  cross."  Reeves^ s  Eccl.  Antiq. 
p.  299.  It  is  entered  on  the  Ordnance  Map  "  Killacur, 
graveyard  for  children."  The  name  translates — "  church  of 
the  round  hill."  The  adjoining  townland  which  comes 
within  a  few  perches  of  Killacur  is  named  Tamlaght,  a  name 
always  associated  with  a  place  of  burial.  On  the  mountain, 
at  the  junction  of  the  two  townlands,  are  the  remains  of  a 
cairn  named  Carn-Neill. 

The  ruin  of  the  little  church  of  Ardclinis,  58  feet  in 
length  and  21  feet  in  width,  surmounting  a  beautiful  emi- 
nence between  the  base  of  a  lofty  mountain  and  the  sea^  is 
the  only  memorial  of  its  ancient  importance.  Near  this  ruin 
a  stream  leaps  down  the  face  of  the  mountain,  and  then 
diving  into  the  earth,  rushes  along  through  a  natural  tunnel 
beneath  the  hill  and  the  highway  into  the  sea.  Ecclesia  de 
Ardglanys  is  valued  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  at 
20/-.  The  Terrier  enters — "  Ecclesia  de  Ardclanise — it  hath 
no  land  but  a  quarter  of  Glebe;  it  owes  Proxies,  20/-; 
Refections,  20/;  Synodals,  2/-."  Tlie  Ulster  Visitation  Book 
ot  1622  reports — "Ecclesia  de  Ardclynes  decayed." 

The   Belfast   Northern    Whig  of    December    22nd,    1840, 

obverse  was  BERHTVLF.  KEX.,  on  the  reverse  BRID  MONETA. 
The  second  is  a  coin  of  Ceolnoth,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  in  the 
same  year.  On  the  obverse  is  CIALNO.  ARC,  on  the  reverse 
VVNERE.  MONETA.  We  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  these 
remains  were  deposited  at  the  same  time.  See  Proceedings  R.I. 
Academy,  vol.  iv.,  pp.  394-395. 


550  DIOCESE    OP    CONNOR. 

published  a  paragraph  signed  M,  probably  written  by 
M'Skimin  of  Carrickfergus,  of  which  the  following  is  an 
extract  :  — 

"  Ardclinis,  according  to  the  oral  history  of  the  neighbourhood, 
was  founded  by  a  venerable  bishop,  commonly  called  Saint  M'Kenna, 
Ruin  greenly  dwells  on  its  mouldering  walls,  and  on  a  ditch  opposite, 
by  the  road  side,  are  several  large  stones,  now  whitened  by  the  hoary 
lichen,  and  formerly  hallowed  by  the  above  Saint,  on  which,  if  the 
wearied  traveller  sits  for  ever  so  short  a  time,  he  rises  completely 
refreshed  to  continue  his  way.  These  stones  are  commonly  called 
Gahir  MacKenna,  or  'M'Kenna's  Chair.'  Until  about  eighty  years 
ago,  the  Bach'd,  or  crozier  of  this  Saint  remained  in  the  chancel 
window  of  this  chapel.  It  was  occasionally  used  on  extraordinary 
occasions  to  swear  upon,  to  extort  the  truth  when  all  other  means 
had  failed  ;  and  in  cases  of  theft,  it  is  said,  that  the  article  stolen 
came  each  night  and  lay  on  the  pillow  of  the  person  who  had  sworn 
falsely.  The  last  person  who  swore  falsely  was  a  woman  who  had 
stolen  linen,  and  the  next  moment  the  linen  was  seen  by  those 
present  to  drop  from  lier  apron  at  her  feet.  This  precious  relic  was 
about  four  feet  and  a  half  in  length,  and  of  Irish  oak.  Its  head  was 
neatly  ornamented  with  a  cathedral  church.  It  was  always  called 
Bach'd  MacKenna,  and  was  carried  off  by  a  person  named  Galvin, 
in  whose  family  it  is  reported  to  remain. 

In  1860  the  writer  obtained  permission  from  the  possessor 
of  this  crozier,  David  Galvin,  a  farmer,  then  residing  in  the 
vicinity  of  Glenarm,  to  have  a  drawing  made  of  it,  which 
was  published  in  the  Ulster  Journal  of  Archceology,  Vol.  IX 
p.  51.*  The  crozier  seems  originall}'^  to  have  been  about  three 
feet  two  inches  long,  consisting  of  the  crook,  the  staff  and 
foot  spike.     At  the  jvrnction  of  the  crook,  or  head,  with  the 

*I  discovered  the  existence  of  this  crozier  by  the  following  curious 
circumstance  : — In  1860  a  lady  in  Belfast  informed  me  tliat  her  servant 
had  told  her,  that  a  man,  named  Daniel  Galvin,  who  resided  in  the 
mountain  ,above  Glenarm,  had  a  crooked  stick  covered  with  brass, 
which  he  used  for  dipping  into  water  that  was  to  be  given  to  sick 
cows.  I  understood  at  once  that  this  was  an  Irish  crozier,  and  in 
company  with  Father  Starkey,    P.P.,   Glenarm,    I  went  to  Daniel 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  551 

staflf  is  a  broad  barrel-shaped  ornamented  band,  a  second 
similar  baud  occurs  twelve  inches  down  the  staff,  and  at  the 
termination  of  this  baud  the  staff  is  broken  and  the  remainder 
lost.  An  ancient  Irish  crozier,  measuring  three  feet  two 
inches,  was  exhited  at  the  Dublin  Exhibition,  in  1852,  the 
staff  of  which  was  divided  into  two  portions  by  three  bands  ; 
and  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  exhibited  crozier  exactly 
corresponds  with  the  Ardclinis  crozier  in  the  length  of  the 
crook  and  in  the  first  division  of  the  staff.  In  both  croziers 
the  length  of  the  crook  from  its  highest  point  to  the  middle 
of  the  first  band  is  six  inches,  and  the  length  of  the  staff, 
from  the  middle  of  the  first  band  to  the  middle  of  the  second 
is  one  foot ;  from  which  we  may  probably  conclude,  that  the 
original  length  of  the  Ardclinis  crozier  was  also  about  three 
feet  two  inches,  and  that  one  division  of  the  staff,  one 
band,  and  the  foot  spike  are  wanting.  The  foot  spike, 
judging  from  existing  specimens,  would  have  been  about  six 
inches  long,  and  tapering  to  a  point.  Like  all  ancient  Irish 
croziers  it  consists  of  a  wooden  staff — probably  the  simple 
crozier  of  its  original  possessor — which  is  protected  by  a 
covering  of  bronze,  terminated  in  a  crook,  and  ornamented 
with  two  bands.  The  original  wooden  staff  does  not  extend 
into  the  crook  or  head  which  is  hollow.  The  bronze  head  is 
overlaid  with  thin  plates  of  silver,  and  was  surmounted 
around  the  convex  side   of  the   curve   by  a  cresting,  as  if  in 

Galvin's  house,  but  I  could  not  persuade  him  to  part  with  the  crozier, 
which  he  seemed  to  consider  the  palladium  of  his  house,  though,  at 
the  same  time,  he  had  it  driven  into  a  hole  in  the  wail  as  a  peg  to 
hold  up  yarn.  He  knew  nothing  of  its  history  more  than  that  it  had 
been  in  his  family  for  several  generations.  It  was  twenty-three  years 
afterwards,  when  looking  through  the  flies  of  the  Whig,  that  I 
discovered  the  paragraph  which  enabled  me  to  identify  it  as  the 
crozier  of  Ardclinis. 


552  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

imitation  of  the  mane  of  a  horse.  The  cresting  seems  to 
have  been  ornamented  with  the  interlaced  decoration  known 
to  antiquarians  as  the  Opus  Hlhernicum.  Only  a  part  of 
the  cresting  remains,  but  the  rivet  holes  still  mark  the  place 
it  once  occupied.  On  each  side  of  the  cresting  are  three 
stones,  or,  perhaps,  pieces  of  enamel;  four  similar  ornaments 
are  set  around  the  lower  part  of  the  crook ;  other  stones  are 
set  in  the  centres  of  three  crosses  which  ornament  the  sides 
of  the  curve;  and  the  setting  of  a  large  stone  still  remains 
over  the  head  of  an  ecclesiastical  figure  in  the  front  of  the 
crook.  An  oblong  piece  of  silver,  occupying  the  concave 
])ortion  of  the  crook,  is  ornamented  with  a  series  of  figures 
similar  to  that  of  the  front,  except  that  over  the  head  of 
each,  instead  of  a  precious  stone  there  is  an  nimbus.  The 
ornamentation  is  stuck  up  with  a  stamp  on  thin  plates  of 
silver,  and  the  same  ornament  is  several  times  repeated  and 
adjusted  to  difierent  portions  of  the  crook.  One  of  the  most 
frequently  repeated  figures  is  the  head  of  a  sheep,  which  is 
rejtresented  as  browsing  on  a  trefoil  plant.  Another  orna- 
ment occurring  several  times  is  a  dog's  head,  one  of  which 
is  sculptured  at  each  extremity  of  the  cresting. 

St.  MacKunna  is  obviously  an  attempt  on  the  part  of 
M'Skimin,  or  whoever  wrote  the  paragraph  in  the  Northern 
Whig,  to  approximate  the  name  of  the  Irish  saint  such  as  he 
had  heard  it  pronounced  by  Irish-speaking  people.  It  is 
probable  that  Mac  is  a  mal-pronunciation  of  Mo — "  my,"  so 
commonly  prefixed  to  the  names  of  Irish  saints.  Mo-Enna 
would  seem  M'Kenna.  The  Rev.  John  Green,  P.P.,  Cole- 
raine,  in  some  notes  which  he  compiled  on  the  Taxation  of 
Pope  Nicholas,  enters  under  Ardclinis  :  "  It  is  said  that  St. 
MacNisius  of  Connor  was  buried  here."  Could  all  these 
popular  stories  refer  to  St.  Euan  MacNissi  whose  festival  is 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  553 

entered  on  the  calendars  on  the  1st  of  March,  but  whose 
history  is  unknown  1  Or  was  St.  MacNisius  of  Connor  the 
founder  of  Ardclinis  ;  and  is  this  his  crozierl  The  crozier 
preserved  in  the  church  affords  no  means  of  determining 
whether  the  founder  of  Ardclinis  was  a  bishop  or  an  abbot. 
At  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the  ruined  church 
stands  along  the  shore  a  singular  mass  of  natural  rock,  resem- 
bling a  colossal  terminal  figure.  This  curious  object,  called 
the  Cloghastookan,  is  mentioned  by  the  historian  Keating, 
under  the  name  Cloch-an-stacain — ^'stone  of  the  stump,"  as  the 
northern  point,  from  which  Ireland  is  measured  to  Cairn-Ui- 
Neid,  now  Mizen  Head,  in  the  county  of  Cork.  At  the  base  of 
the  clitifs  at  Garron  Point  (Gearr-rin — "  short  point")  are  two 
caves  formed  by  fissures  in  the  limestone  rock  ;  one  of  these, 
nearly  level  with  the  sea,  is  about  5  feet  wide,  extending 
northwards  about  150  feet,  and  at  its  extreme  end  is  a  spring 
well.  The  entrance  to  the  other,  which  extends  about  60 
feet,  is  through  a  fissure  in  the  rock,  about  50  feet  high. 
The  latter  was  used  as  a  place  of  refuge  during  the  rebellion 
in  1798.  The  natural  fortalice,  Dunmall  (Dun-maol — "  bald 
fort ")  rises  to  an  altitude  of  above  300  feet  above  the  sea 
level,  and  exhibits  some  remnants  of  its  artificial  entrench- 
ments. The  beautiful  residence,  Garron  Tower,  erected  in 
1848  by  Frances  Anne  Vane,  Marchioness  of  Londonderry, 
the  daughter  of  Anne  Katherine,  Countess  of  Antrim,  in  her 
own  right;  contains  a  tine  collection  of  paintings,  including 
one  by  Rembrandt,  said  to  be  worth  £  1 0,000,  and  a  full- 
sized  painting  of  Catherine  Manners,  Duchess  of  Buckingham, 
and  her  three  children.  The  ancient  graveyard  of  KiUycrap- 
pin,  half-a-mile  south  of  Garron  Tower,  is  exclusively  used 
by  Catholics,  who  consider  it  extremely  ancient,  but  nothing 
is  known  of  its  history. 


554  •         DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

CHURCHES. 

A  letter  writteu   by  the  Rev.  John  Fitzsimons,  and  dated 
September  27th,  1845,  says  ; 

"  In  the  townland  of  Galboly,  near  the  Point  of  Garron,  tradition 
points  out  the  spot  where  Mass  was  said  in  the  times  ot  persecution. 
It  was  a  very  sequestered  place,  overhanging  the  old  line  of  road  and 
commanding  a  view  of  the  different  approaches.  It  now  immediately 
adjoins  the  public  road  made  by  Mr.  Turnley,  late  proprietor  of 
Cushendall;  Avhich  runs  through  the  old  '  Forth.'  None  of  the 
present  inhabitants  recollect  when  Mass  was  there  celebrated.  Until 
within  the  last  60  years  the  Catholics  of  the  Glens  worshipped  in  the 
open  air.  Before  that  period  there  were  three  Mass-stations  in  the 
parish  : — one  in  the  townland  of  Fallowvee,  in  the  civil  parish  of 
Ardclinis  ;  and  one  in  the  townland  of  Laney,  in  the  civil  parish  of 
Layd  :  these  were  attended  only  on  alternate  Sundays.  The  third, 
which  was  attended  every  Sunday,  was  at  the  Waterfoot  of  Glenariff. 
Almost  70  years  ago  a  chapel  was  commenced  by  the  Rev.  B. 
Mulholland,  in  the  townland  of  Bellisk,  near  Cushendall ;  it  remained 
unroofed  for  ten  years,  until  the  P^ev.  Mr.  Magee,  curate  of  Mr. 
Mulhollan,  exerted  himself  to  have  it  completed.  Thus  the  first 
house  of  worship,  which  the  people  of  this  district  had,  was  erected 
within  the  last  60  years.  When  the  chapel  of  Bellisk  was  finished 
the  station  at  the  "Waterfoot  of  Glenariff  was  removed  to  it.  At  the 
same  time  the  station  at  Fallowvee  was  removed  a  mile  northward  to 
Red  Bay,  at  which  Mass  was  celebrated  in  the  open  air,  or  under  the 
cover  of  a  fishing  boat,  turned  mouth  downwards  to  prevent  the  rain 
failing  on  the  Holy  Sacrifice.  The  station  at  Laney  was  continued. 
Such  was  the  state  of  things  when  the  new  chapel  of  Cushendall  was 
commenced,  in  the  year  1834,  on  a  site  granted  by  Francis  Turnley,  Esq. 
At  the  same  time  a  chapel  was  commenced  at  Red  Bay  by  the  spirited 
exertions  of  the  Catholics  of  Ardclinis.  The  Rev.  John  M'Kenna 
exerted  himself  very  much  in  raising  funds  for  the  erection  of  Cush- 
endall chapel  ;  he  expended  on  it  about  £600,  and  brought  it  so  far 
towards  completion,  that  it  was  dedicated  by  the  Right  Rev.  Dr. 
Denvir  in  the  year  1836.  Since  that  period  I  have  expended  on  it 
about  £400,  so  that  it  is  now  one  of  the  best-finished  chapels  in  the 
diocese.  The  Red  Bay  chapel  was  retarded  by  different  untoward 
circumstances  :  when  it  was  being  built  the  walls  were  blown  down  ; 
and  when  it  was  completed,  and  ready  for  dedication,  the  roof  was 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  555 

blowu  off  by  the  great  storm  of  the  6th  of  January,  1839.*  I  got  it 
again  repaired,  and  it  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Denvir  in  the  year  1840. 
After  the  erection  of  these  chapels  the  Mass-stations  have  been 
abolished." 

The  Church  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  Cushendall,  was 
dedicated  by  Dr.  Denvir  on  the  18th  of  September,  1836. 
High  Mass  was  celebrated  by  Dr.  Denvir ;  Father  M'Garry 
was  deacon,  Father  Green,  sub-deacon,  and  Father  Lynch, 
master  of  ceremonies.  His  Lordship  delivered  an  impressive 
sermon,  taking  for  his  text  Isaiah,  chap.  56,  v.  6  &  7.  The 
collection  amounted  to  ,£70.  The  Ordnance  Survey  Report 
says  of  this  church,  and  the  old  one  of  Bellisk,  or  more 
properly  of  Ellanabough  :  "  The  Roman  Catholic  chapel  just 
being  built  on  the  side  of  the  road  from  Cushendall  to  Bally- 
castle  is  84  feet  long  and  32  feet  wide.  The  Roman  Catholic 
chapel  in  Ellanabough  is  90  feet  long  and  32  feet  wide ;  is 
now  in  a  ruinous  state  ;  it  accomodates  400."  Nothing  now 
remains  of  the  old  chapel  of  Bellisk  or  Ellanabough ;  its 
stones  were  used  in  the  completion  of  St.  Mary's,  of 
Cushendall. 

Church  of  St.  Kilian,  Red  Bay,  erected  on  a  site  presented 
by  Lord  Mark  Kerr,  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Denvir  on 
Sunday,  September  15th,  1839  (Father  Fitzsimons,  by  mis- 
take, writes  1840).  Great  crowds,  notwithstanding  the 
severity  of  the  day,  attended  ;  and  his  Lordship  preached, 
taking  his  text  from  \st  Esdras,  chap,  vi,  v.  16. 

"So  great  were  the  difficulties  experienced  in  erecting  this  cliurch  that  the  people 
attributed  them  to  a  supernatural  agency.  The  Ord.  Surv.  MS.  contains  the 
following  local  legends  :— "There  is  a  legend  that  a  chapel  will  not  stand  in  Ardcli- 
nis.  Strange  to  say,  of  one  in  Red  Bay,  just  finished,  the  walls  fell  twice  ;  and  the 
vessel  which  brought  the  slates  was  totally  wrecked,  and  all  lost.  There  is  a  tradi. 
tionthata  hermit  once  cursed  the  rivers  of  Ardclinis  parish;  and  the  belief  is 
strengthened  by  no  trout  ever  being  seen  there.  It  is  also  said  that  a  cock  will  not 
crow  in  this  parish." 


656  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

PARISH  PRIESTS. 

We  cannot  discover  the  names  of  parish  priests  who  had 
charge  of  the  parish  until  the  year  1704,  when  the  Rev. 
Patrick  O'Hamill  registered  himself  as  Parish  Priest  of 
Layd  and  Ardclinis ;  he  was  then  aged  40  years,  and  was 
residing  in  Layd.  He  had  been  ordained  at  Craignashure 
(perhaps  Carrick-on-Suir),  in  1692,  by  the  Bishop  of  Ossory. 
His  sureties  at  his  registration  were  William  Shaw,  Esq.,  of 
Garway,  and  Alexander  M'Manus,  of  Ballybeg,  Gentlemen, 
who  each  bailed  him  in  .£50.  We  have  no  record  of  the  date  of 
the  death  of  Father  O'Hamill.  Tradition  has  preserved  merely 
the  names  of  a  Father  M'Lernon  and  a  Father  M'Cormick 
who  officiated  in  the  parish.  Father  M'Lernon  may  have 
been  the  Rev.  Dominick  M'Clernon  who  was  32  years  of  age 
in  1704,  and  was  then  residing  in  Cranfield,  but  was  not  in 
charge  of  any  parish.  On  the  2nd  of  April,  1766,  the 
Protestant  Minister  reported  to  the  House  of  Lords  that 
there  v/ere  in  the  parish  of  Layd  140  Protestant  families, 
and  278  Popish  families,  and  that  there  were  in  the  parish  of 
Ardclinis  48  Protestant  families,  and  96  Popish  families. 
He  adds  to  the  report : — "  One  Fryar  of  the  Dominican 
Order  resides  in  both  parishes."  The  report  is  signed  by 
"  Denis  M'Arthur,  Curate  of  Layd  and  Ardclinis."  The 
friar  was  Father  Archibald  M'Ambrose  (or  M'Cambridge) 
who,  in  1760,  was  in  the  44th  year  of  his  age,  and  24th  of 
his  profession  (see  p,  173).  He  seems  to  have  been,  in  1766, 
the  only  priest  in  the  parish.  The  Rector,  who  was  non- 
resident, and  had  not  an  opportunity  of  obtaining  so  accurate 
information,  reports  on  the  parishes  of  Agherton  and  Ardcli- 
nis :  "  Agherton,  Protestant  families,  166  ;  Popish  families, 
5  ;  no  priest  or  fryar.       Ardclinis,  Protestant  families,  39  ; 


THE  PARISH  OF  CCJSHENDALL.  557 

Popish  families,  107  ;  one  Popish  priest,  no  fryar.— W. 
Smith,  Rector."* 

In  1771,  a  young  priest  named  Bernard  O'Doran  was 
appointed.  He  was  a  native  of  Lower  Mourde,  and,  it  is 
said,  a  relative  of  Dr.  O'Doran,  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor. 
In  1773,  Dr.  M'Cartan  commissioned  Father  Patrick 
M'Henry  to  suspend,  on  account  of  their  immorality, 
O'Doran  and  another  priest  named  Neeson  ;  they  implored 
Father  M'Henry  not  to  issue  the  sentence  of  suspension,  but 
permit  them  to  go  somewhere  to  do  penance  ;  he  consented, 
and  they  instead  of  doing  penance  apostatized.  The  records 
of  the  County  of  Antrim,  pi-eserved  in  the  Office  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Grand  Jury,  show  that  O'Doran,  as  a  "  Conformist 
Priest,"  received  from  the  ratepayers  a  salary  of  ^40  per 
annum,  from  1778  till  1800,  under  an  Act  of  Parliament, 
that  rewarded  in  this  manner  any  priest  who  became  a 
Protestant.  In  1801  he  was  appointed  Vicar  ot  Killead  by 
John,    Earl    of    Massereene. 

The  Rev.  Bernard  Mulhollan  was  appointed,  in  1773,  to 
the  parish  vacant  by  the  apostasy  of  O'Doran.  Father 
^Mulhollan  had  previously  officiated  in  Loughguile,  where,  it  is 

*If  these  returns  of  1766  be  at  all  reliable  the  relative  proportion  of 
the  Catholics  seems  to  have  increased  in  an  extraordinary  manner. 
In  1881  there  were  in  the  parish  and  grange  of  Layd — Catholics, 
3,073,  and  non-Catholics,  469.  In  the  parish  of  Ardclinis — Catholics, 
1,057  ;  non-Catholics,  518. 

As  the  Grange  of  Layd,  and  some  townlands  in  the  parish  of  Layd, 
belong  to  the  Catholic  parish  of  Cushendun,  deducting  the  Catholics 
of  the  Grange,  210,  and  the  Catholics  of  those  townlands — say  200 — 
there  were,  in  1881,  in  the  Catholic  parish  of  Cushendall,  2,652 
Catholics  belonging  to  the  parish  of  Layd  ;  and,  following  a  proportion 
arranged  in  1869,  450  of  the  1,057  Catholics  in  the  parish  of  Ardclinis 
would  belong  to  the  Catholic  parish  oi  Cushendall,  the  entire  Catholic 
population  of  which  in  1881  was  therefore  3,102. 


558  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

said,  he  was  Parish  Priest,  and  that  he  was  requested  to 
accept  the  parish  of  Layde  in  order  to  remove  the  scandals 
given  by  O'Doran.  It  is  probable  that  he  was  the  immediate 
predecessor  in  Loughguile  of  Father  M'Auley  (see  p.  113). 
Shortly  after  his  appointment  he  gave  the  care  of  the  south- 
ern side  of  Ardclinis  to  his  brother,  Father  John  Mulhollan 
who  was  Parish  Priest  of  Glenarm ;  and  ever  afterwards 
that  part  has  been  separated  from  the  remainder  of  the  parish. 
Father  Bernard  Mulhollan  died  in  1787  and  was  interred 
in  Layde. 

The  next  Parish  Priest  was  the  Rev.  Daniel  M'Donnell, 
who  was  a  native  of  the  Glens  and  studied  on  the  Continent, 
After  having  been  a  few  years  a  curate  in  some  part  of  the 
diocese,  he  was  appointed  in  June,  1780,  Parish  Priest  of 
Saintfield,  where  local  traditions  represent  him  as  having 
been  greatly  beloved  by  all  the  inhabitants.  He  was 
appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Layd  in  1787.  The  Protestant 
Curate  of  Layd  and  Ardclinis,  writing  on  those  parishes  in 
Mason's  Parochial  Survey,  Vol.  III.,  says — '•  It  must  excite 
very  pleasing  reflections  that  the  Catholic  clergyman,  the 
Rev.  Daniel  M'Donnell,  does  everything  in  his  power  to 
promote  a  good  understanding  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
parish."  He  was,  however,  tried,  but  acquitted,  for  having 
fired  out  of  his  house  on  an  Orange  mob  that  attacked  it. 
He  died  on  the  5th  of  June,  1828.  The  Northern  Whig  of 
June  19th,  1828,  says— 

"The  remains  of  this  venerable  and  respected  clergyman  were 
consigned  to  the  tomb  in  the  ancient  burying  place  of  his  ancestors, 
at  Layd  church,  on  the  8th  inst.  He  died  in  the  86th  year  of  bis 
age  and  the  56th  of  his  ministry.  Mr.  M'Donnell  was  one  of  the 
best  antiquarians  of  his  day,  and  possessed  an  intimate  and  ex- 
tensive knowledge  of  the  history  of  his  countrj\  The  Eev.  Bernard 
M'Auley  pronounced  his  funeral  oration.     .     .     .     The  funeral  was 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  559 

one  of  the  largest  ever  seen  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  con- 
sisted of  all  sects  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  united  parishes  of  L-iyd 
and  Ardclinis,  over  which  the  lamented  divine  had  presided,  as 
pastor,  for  upwards  of  40  years." 

On  his  tomb  in  Layd  is  inscribed  the  following  very 
inaccurate  inscii])tion  : — 

Underneath 

are  deposited  the  mortal  remains  of 

Rev.  Daniel  McDonnell,  P.P. 

of  Layd  and  ArdcUiiis, 

who  departed  this  life  the  8th  day  of  June,  1828, 

in  the  Sith  year  of  his  age,  6'Srd  of 

his  Sacred  Ministry,  and  bZrd  of  his 

parochial  appointment. 

This  monument  has  been  erected 

by  Daniel  M'Cambridge,  to  the  memory 

of  his  venerable  uncle. 

Requeiscat  in  Pace. 

The  Rev.  Bernard  M'Cann,  P.P.,  Armoy,  succeeded 
Father  M'Donnell.  To  the  account  given  of  him  at  p.  455, 
may  be  added  the  following  from  the  Northern  Whig  of 
August  19th,  1824:— 

Co.  Antrim  Assizes.  The  Eev.  Bernard  M'Cann,  indicted  for  that 
he,  being  a  reputed  Popish  Priest,  did  unlawfully  celebrate  two 
marriages,  each  between  a  Roman  Catholic  and  a  Protestant :  he  was 
also  indicted  for  that  he,  being  a  Roman  Catholic  Priest,  did  unlaw- 
fully celebrate  these  marriages,  they  not  having  been  previously 
celebrated  by  a  clergyman  of  the  Estal)lished  Church.  The  jury, 
without  leaving  the  box,  returned  a  verdict  of  Xot  Guilty. 

He  was  appointed  in  August,  1828,  to  Layd,  where  he 
died  of  fever  on   the   21st  of  June,  1832.  and  was  interred 


560  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

in    Cranfield,    where    his   grave-stone    bears    the    following 
inscription : — 

This  stone  was  erected  hy 
Elinor  M-Cann,  in  memory  of 

her  loving  son,  the  Rev. 

Bernard  M^Cann,  Parish  Priest 

of  Cushendall,  who  departed  this 

life,  June  'IXst,  1832,  aged  42  years. 

Requiescat  in  Pace.     Amen. 

The  Rev.  John  Lynch  succeeded  Father  M'Cann.      Father 

Lynch  was  born   in   Portglenone   on  the   22nd  of  January, 

1805;    studied    classics    under    Mr.    Murphy,   a    celebrated 

teacher  at  Eglish,  Co.  Tyrone;  entered  the  Rhetoric  Class  in 

the  College  of  Maynooth  September  1st,  1822;  was  ordained 

in  Belfast,  by  Dr.  CroUy,  April   21st,  1828,   was   curate  in 

Belfast  during   four  years;   was   appointed    Parish  Priest  of 

Layd,  August  11th,  1832.      A.t  that  period  party  feeling  was 

very  excited  in  the  parish  of  Ahoghill,  and  the  Rev.  Patrick 

O'Neill,  the  Parish  Priest,  was  extremely  unpopular  among 

the  Orangemen  of  that  parish.     It  was  consequently  thought 

that  the   interests   of    religion   would    be   promoted   by   an 

exchange  of   parishes   between   Fathers  Lynch  and  O'Neill, 

which  occurred  on  the  14th  of  October,  1832. 

The  Rev.  Patrick  O'Neill  was  a  nativo  of  Gortmacrane, 
in  the  parish  of  Tamlaghtocrilly,  Co.  Derry,  but  was  ordained 
for  Down  and  Connor  by  Dr.  Patrick  M'Mullan,  in  Down- 
patrick,  July  6th,  1803.  After  officiating  in  various  parishes 
of  the  diocese  he  was  appointed  Curate  and  Administrator 
of  Ahoghill,  under  Father  Peter  M'Nally,  who  was  then  in 
sickness,  and  on  the  death  of  that  parish  priest,  whic^ 
occurred  on  the  29th  of  August,  1825,  he  succeeded  to 
the  vacant  parish.       Father  O'Neill,   as  we  have   seen,  on 


THE  PARISH  OF  CUSHENDALL.  561 

the  14th  of  October,  1832,  exchanged  the  parish  of  Ahoghill 
for  that  of  Layd,  which  he  held  until  the  16th  of  April, 
1834,  when  he  removed  to  the  curacy  of  Belfast. 

The  Rev,  John  M'Kenna  succeeded  Father  M'Kenna,  or 
M  Kinney,  as  his  name  originally  written,  was  born  in 
Cooeystown,  in  the  parish  of  Ballykinlar,  in  the  year  1807  ; 
entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  August, 
1825  ;  was  ordained  by  Dr.  Crolly  in  Belfast,  in  September, 
1830  ;  was  curate  of  Rasharkin  for  a  few  months ;  was 
appointed  in  May,  1831,  to  the  curacy  of  Belfast,  from  which 
he  was  promoted  to  Layd  and  Ardclinis  on  the  16th  of  April, 
1834.  He  erected  the  church  of  Cushendall  and  commenced 
that  of  Red  Bay.  He  was  appointed  to  the  parish  of  Bright 
on  the  21st  of  September,  1837,  Father  Fitzsimmons 
succeeded  him  in  Layd, 

The  Rev.  John  Fitzsimons  was  born  in  1806,  in  the  town 
of  Lisburn,*  where  he  commenced  Classics,  which  he  after- 
wards completed  in  the  Belfast  Academical  Institution  ;  for 
at  that  period,  and  previous  to  the  opening  of  the  Diocesan 
College,  Catholics  were  obliged  to  resort  to  Protestant 
educational  institutions  ;  he  entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  August  25th,  1826;  was  ordained  in 
Belfast  by  Dr.  Crolly  in  September,  1830  ;  was  appointed 
Curate  of  Belfast ;  was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Saintfield 
in  January,  1835  ;  was  appointed  to  Layd  and  Ardclinis  on 
the  20th  of  September,  1 837.  Father  Fitzsimons  ornamented 
the  church  of  Cushendall,  and  completed  that  of  Red  Bay. 

*His  father,  before  he  removed  to  Lisburn,  resided  in  Downpatrick, 
where  he  voted  in  1793  at  the  first  election  for  a  Member  of  Parlia- 
ment at  which  a  Catholic  could  exercise  the  franchise.  He  lived  to 
be  the  last  surviving  member  of  the  Downpatrick  Volunteers  ;  and 
died  at  the  residence  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Fetherstone,  corner  of 
Ann  Street  and  Church  Lane,  Belfast. 

2l 


56.2  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

At  the  election  for  a  Co-aJjutor  Bishop,  held  in  St.  Patrick's, 
Belfast,  in  November,  1859,  he  was  returned  as  Bignus  for 
nomination  to  his  Holiness.  He  died  at  his  residence, 
Ashbrook,  Cushendall,  on  the  8th  of  July,  1869,  and  was 
interred  in  the  graveyard  of  the  church  which  he  erected  in 
Red  Bay.  A  beautiful  Celtic  cross  was  erected  over  his 
grave,  but  it  has  been  blown  down  by  the  wind,  and  is  broken. 
On  its  base  is  inscribed — 

Erected  hy  devoted  parishioners  and  friends 

to  the  memory  of  a  dearly  beloved  pastor, 

the  Very  Rev.  John  Fitsimons,  P.P.  and  V.F., 

who  for  nearly  32  years,  loas  the  venerated  Pastor  oj  the  Parish. 

He  died  on  the  8th  of  July,  1869,  in  the  6Srd  year  of 

his  age,  and  39th  of  Jiis  sacred  ministry. 

Pray  for  the  eternal  repose  of  his  soul. 

Father  Fitzsimmons  bequeathed  his  house  to  his  successors 
and  all  that  he  possessed  to  various  charities ;  his  brother- 
in-law,  John  Fetherstone,  a  Catholic — only  in  name — 
appropriated  the  house,  because  the  will  not  having  been 
njade  six  months  previous  to  his  death  was  incapable  of 
conveying  lease-hold  property;  and  he  even  disputed  the 
general  validity  of  the  will,  which,  however,  was  established 
in  the  Court  of  Probate,  on  the  15th  of  June,  1870. 

The  Rev.  Patrick  Starkey  succeeded  Father  Fitzsimmons. 
We  have  already  given  an  account  of  Father  Starkey  at  p. 
532,  where  we  have  mentioned  that  he  was  appointed  in 
March,  1852,  to  the  parish  of  Glenarm.*     He  was  promoted 

*At  p.  532  it  is  stated  that  Father  Starkey  was  born  at  Lisban— it 
should  be  Lisbuoy.  He  was  ordaiued,  not  by  Dr.  Crolly  but  by  Dr. 
Murray. 


THE  PARISH  OP  CUSHENDALL.  563 

from  Glenarm  to  Layd  and  Ardclinis,  or  Cushendall,  on  the 
23rd  of  July,  1869,  and  is  the  present  Parish  Priest. 


Addendum  to  the  Account  of  the  Parish  of  Cushendun.  The  curious 
passage  quoted  at  p.  448,  from  the  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick, 
represents  the  Saint  as  foretelUng  that  the  See  would  pass  from  the 
Church  of  St.  Olcan  to  that  which  would  be  founded  by  St.  Olcan's 
pupil,  MacNissi,  then  "  a  young  boy  bearing  a  satchel ;  "  and  "  to 
one  yet  unborn,  that  is,  Senanof  Inis  Altic. "  In  a  note  to  that 
passage,  and  again  at  p.  528,  I  surmised  that  Senan's  see,  Inis  Altic, 
might  be  Inispollan.  I  find  that  surmise  confirmed  by  a  passage 
in  Erc's  Ecclesiastical  Register,  1830,  p.  35,  which  describes  the 
parish  of  Layd  as  extending  to  a  place  called  Inessentoan.  Here 
Inispollan,  to  which  the  parish  of  Layd  extends,  is  named  Iness- 
entoan— "the  Island  of  Senan."  The  foundation  of  Inispollan 
cannot  therefore  be  ascribed  to  a  date  earlier  than  the  year  550. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CAHNLOUGH. 


THE  Parish  of  Carnloiagh  contains  the  part  of  the  Civil 
Parish  of  Ardclinis  not  included  in  the  Catholic  Parish 
of  Cushendall,  together  with  the  part  of  the  Civil  Parish 
of  Tick macree van,  west  of  a  line  drawn  along  the  western 
boundaries  of  the  townlands  of  Parishagh,  Bellair  Tully, 
Oldchurch,  Longfield,  Muinie  North,  and  Muinie  South, 
leaving  these  townlands  in  the  Catholic  Parish  of  Glenarm. 

On  entering  the  Parish  of  Carnlough,  the  first  place  of 
antiquarian  interest  presenting  itself  is  the  great  earthen 
foi't  of  Dungallon,  which,  according  to  local  story,  was  the 
last  fort  in  Ireland  held  by  the  Danes.  The  story  probably 
arises  from  an  attempt  to  derive  its  name  from  Gall — "  a 
Dane,  or  any  foreigner."* 

DruDinasole  School  House  is  said  to  have  been  erected  on 
the  site  of  a  military  building  of  some  note,  which  gave  to 
the  place  the  name  of  the  Castle  Hill.  At  it  was  a  burial 
place,  in  which  were  interred  the  bodies  of  insane  persons 
and  of  unbaptized  children,  and  at  the  south  end  of  the 
building  was  a  well  named  Tohher-Doney,  around  which 
Catholics  used  to  practise  some  works  of  penance.  The 
eccentric  Mr.  Francis  Turnley  erected  the  school  house 
after  he  purchased  the  townland,  for  which  he  paid  .£9,500. 

*At  a  Meeting  in  the  Belfast  Museum,  Nov.  13th,  1883,  Mr.  Gray 
exhibited  a  curious  chain,  a  large  pin,  and  some  armlets  of  fine 
silver,  found  in  a  fissure  of  a  rock  near  Garron  Point. 


THE  PARISH  OP  CARNLOUGH.  566 

He  directed  that  Drumnasole  House  should  be  formed  into 
an  establishment  for  insane  persons,  which  was  to  be 
presided  over  by  a  Protestant  clergyman,  who  had  himself 
once  been  similarly  afflicted,  and  he  directed  that  the  trustees 
of  the  Cushendall  trust  should  at  a  rock  on  the  mountain  top 
of  Craig-a-Tinnel,  and  near  a  covered  seat  there  erected, 
eause  to  be  engraven  the  following  inscription,  in  the 
English  and  Greek  languages  :  — 

'*  When  Jesus  had  sent  the  multitude  away,  he  went  up  into 
the  mountain  apart  to  pray:  and  when  the  evening  was 
come  he  was  there  alone." — Matt.  xiv.  23. 
The  will  was,  however,  set  aside,  and  Craig  a-Tinnel — "  The 
Rock  of  the  Muster" — *  never  taught  its  lesson  of  wisdom 
to  the  assembling  clans.  The  cross  which  gave  name  to 
Drumnacross  no  longer  exists.  In  the  adjoining  townland 
of  Highlandtown  can  be  traced  the  remains  of  a  square 
building,  said  to  have  been  a  fortress,  which  has  given  name 

*It  is  possible  that  it  is  Craigateinne — '  The  Rock  of  Fire  '  for  it  is 
said  that  the  townland  is  named  Drumasole  Druim-Solais — '  The 
Ridge  of  Light ' — from  the  beacon  fires  with  which  the  Antrim  Scots 
•communicated  with  their  countrymen  across  the  channel.  Mr. 
Turnley  suggested  to  the  Minister  of  Arclinis  to  establish  a  society 
of  Protestant  servant  girls  ;  each  of  whom  was  to  undertake  to  con- 
vert her  Catholic  master.  The  suggestion  was  one  of  the  proofs 
brought  forward  of  his  insanity. 

In  1816,  the  townlands  in  Ardclinis  of  Cloughcor,  Discart,  and 
Alistena,  were  the  property  of  Rev.  John  Dobbs ;  Craignegat, 
Clonreagh,  and  Greenaghan,  of  C.  E.  Dobbs  ;  Tamlagh,  Drumnacur, 
and  Bay,  of  Rev.  R.  Dobbs  ;  Gallona,  Gal.  M 'Bride,  Tamlaghmore, 
Drumadraid,  Cusheneilt,  Ardclinis,  and  Fallowvee,  ol  Lord  M.  Kerr; 
Galboly,  and  Dunmall,  of  Lady  Antrim  ;  Nappan,  and  Loughan,  of 
John  Higginson ;  Drumnasole,  of  Francis  Turnley  ;  Carrafee,  and 
Drumnacross,  of  Rev.  D.  Kelly ;  Limnalarry,  Aghalure,  Cragan, 
Oortin,  and  Gortnagorrie,  of/.  White  and  W.  J.  Lecky  ;  and  Cama- 
lough,  oi  Lady  Antrim  and  Mrs.  Gibbons. 


566  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

to  Castle  Hill,  There  is  a  natural  cave  in  the  beautiful 
glen,  through  which  the  Cranny-burn  runs,  before  it  fall» 
into  the  sea  at  Carnlough. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  Doonan  stream,  one  of  the  princi- 
pal tributaries  of  the  Glencloy  river,*  which  falls  into  the 
lough  of  Carnlough,  is  Doonan  Fort,  a  funereal  tumulus,  at 
the  base  of  which  are  arranged  many  great  stones  forming  a 
number  of  rudely  circular  chambers,  and  north-east  of  it  is  a 
"  Giant's  Grave."  The  tumulus  is  one  of  those  near  which 
is  generally  found  an  ancient  church.  In  this  case,  however, 
there  is  none  nearer  than  Tickraacrevan,  or  St,  Patrick's  in 
Glore. 

CHURCH, 

In  times  of  persecution  Mass  seems  to  have  been  celebrated 
on  a  hill  in  the  townland  of  Dromourne,  called,  from  the 
circumstance,  Knockanafrin — "  The  Mass-hill,"  which  gives 
name  to  a  sub-denomination  of  that  townland,  but  the  period 
at  which  Mass  was  there  celebrated  must  be  very  remote, 

*"  About  a  mile  from  Glenarm  "  says  Richard  Dobb's  Description 
of  the  County  of  Antrim,  1683,  "is  a  pretty  sandy  bay  about  half  a 
mile  long,  and  above  a  glen  (in  the  North  of  England  glens  are  called 
dales)  called  Glen  Clew — I  suppose  from  a  sword,  in  Irish,  being  broad 
towards  (the  hilt)  the  sea,  and  running  up  towards  the  mountaina 
with  a  sharp  point— a  river  of  the  same  name  falling  into  the  sea. 
Here  stands  a  pretty  slate  house  to  the  middle  of  the  bay,  and  the 
good  thatched  house  at  the  north-west  end,  and  beyond  that,  under 
the  mountain,  another  slate  house  built  by  the  Earl  of  Antrim's 
Receiver,  which  may  be  seen  near  20  miles  at  sea  ;  here  a  ^ock  boat, 
or  small  fishing  boat,  may  come  ashore  ;  beyond  this  appear  Eedbay; 
on  one  side  the  wall  of  a  small  church  called  '  Ard  Clinis,'  near 
which  a  little  brook  falling  from  the  mountains  runs  near  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  underground,  and  appears  again  falling  into  the  sea."  The 
guess  made  by  Dobbs  that  Glencloy  signifies  the  glen  of  the  sword  is- 
incorrect.  O/eaii-c/oidhe  is  the  "glen  of  the  bank  or  brow. " — Latin 
Clivus. 


THE  PARISH  OF  CARNLOUGH,  567 

Mass  was  celebrated  on  a  rock  in  Ballyvaddy,  which  was 
considered  rather  a  central  position,  because  the  Parish 
Priest  generally  resided  about  Doonans,  when  the  wild  state 
of  Glencloy  made  his  residence  almost  inaccessible  to  his 
enemies.  Mass  was  celebrated  on  a  sheltered  stone  at  the 
"  Priest's  Knowe,"  near  Straidkilly.  The  spot  is  between 
the  old  and  new  roads  from  Glenarm  to  Cushendall,  bounded 
by  the  old  road,  and  a  few  perches  off  the  new  cutting. 
Another  Mass  station  was  in  Harphall,  where  the  Church 
of  Carnlough  now  stands.  About  the  year  1808  Father 
James  M'Mullan  erected,  on  a  site  granted  by  Roger 
Stewart,  Esq.,  a  little  chapel,  which  was  replaced  by  the 
present  church  erected  by  Father  M'Court,  Tt  was  dedi- 
cated under  the  invocation  of  St.  John,  by  Dr.  Denvir,  on 
the  6th  of  September,  1846.  The  church  was  re-arranged 
and  improved  by  Father  Dempsey.  The  parochial  house 
was  erected  by  Father  Landy. 

PARISH  PRIESTS. 

The  part  of  the  Parish  of  Carnlough,  which  is  within  the 
Civil  Parish  of  Ardclinis,  was  attached  to  the  Parish  of 
Cushendall  until  about  the  year  1780,  when  Father  Bernard 
Mulhollan,  P.P.,  Cushendall,  ceded  it  to  his  brother,  Father 
John  Mulhollan,  who  was  then  Parish  Priest  of  Glenarm. 
It  continued  afterwards  to  form  an  integral  part  of  the 
Parish  of  Glenarm  until  that  parish  became  vacant  in  1869. 
by  the  promotion  of  Father  Starkey  to  Cushendall.  Dr. 
Dorrian  then  severed  the  district  attached  to  the  Church  of 
Carnlough  from  the  Parish  of  Glenarm,  and  constituted  it 
into  a  separate  parish,  to  which  he  appointed  Father  Landy. 
(For  the  Parish  Priest  in  charge  of  Carnlough  previous  to 
that  date  see  Parish  of  Glenarm). 


668  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

The  Kev.  John  Landy  was  a  native  of  Callan,  in  the 
Diocese  of  Ossory.  After  studying  in  the  College  of  Kilkenny 
he  entered  the  First  Year's  Divinity  Class  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,5'anuary  16th,  1852  ;  was  ordained  in  Dublin  by 
Dr.  Whelan,  November  18th,  1854,  along  with  Rev.  Joseph 
Delahunty,  afterwards  P.P.  Glenarm,  Rev.  W.  Martin, 
afterwards  P.P.  Duneane,  Rev.  P.  Phelan,  afterwards  P.P. 
Saintfield ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Kilmegan  December 
23rd,  1854;  Curate  of  Lisburn,  October,  1864;  Curate  of 
Drummaul,  April,  1867  ;  and  Parish  Priest  of  Carnlough, 
August  1st,  1869.  In  September,  1878,  he  exchanged 
parishes  with  the  Rev.  James  O'Hara,  P.P.,  Aghagallon. 
The  new  Parish  Priest,  shortly  after  his  appointment, 
resigned  the  Parish,  and  after  some  temporary  arrangements 
the  Parish  was  conferred  on  the  present  Parish  Priest, 
Father  Dempsey. 

The  Rev.  William  Dempsey  was  born  February  2nd, 
1846,  in  the  townland  of  Coldagh,  parish  of  Ballymoney. 
After  studying  in  the  Diocesan  College  he  entered  the 
Rhetoric  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  April  i5th, 
1862  ;  was  ordained  in  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian, 
November  15th,  1868  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Lisburn, 
November  15th,  1868  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  St.  Peter's, 
Belfast,  October  1st,  1870  ;  was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of 
Braid,  or  South  Skerry,  August  1st,  1878,  from  which  he 
was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Carnlough  on  the  1st  of 
November,  1879. 

In  1881  the  Catholic  Parish  of  Carnlough  had  about  607  Catholics 
in  the  Civil  Parish  of  Ardclinis  ;  but  we  have  no  public  document  to 
show  how  many  Catholics  it  had  in  the  Civil  Parish  of  Tickmacrevan. 


THE  PARISH  OF  GLENARM. 

THE  Parish  of  GJenarm  contains  the  Civil  Pariah  of 
Tick macre van,  except  the  part  contained  in  the  Catholic 
Parish  of  Carnlough,  together  with  the  Civil  Parish  of  Cam- 
castle  ;  the  Grange  of  Killyglen,  except  the  townland  of 
Ballymullock,  which  belongs  to  the  Catholic  Parish  of 
Laine;  and  the  townlands  of  Skeagh,  Capanagh,  and 
Mullaghsandal,  belonging  to  the  Civil  Parish  of  Kilwaugh- 
ter.  On  the  Ordinance  Map,  Old  Church  99a.  Ir.  27p,, 
Glebe  43a.  3r.  20p.,  and  Glore  83a.  Ir.  20p.,  are  set  down 
as  three  adjoining  townlands,  lying  between  the  summit  of 
Drummore  hill  and  the  western  side  of  the  Glenarm  river, 
though  they  obviously  formed  the  one  denomination  of 
Glore.  This  seems  to  be  the  church,  the  foundation  of 
which  by  St.  Patrick  is  mentioned  in  The  Tripartite  Life, 
when  it  enumerates  the  churches  erected  by  him  in 
Dalaradia  *'  and  Gluaire,  in  the  region  of  Latharna, 
where  rests  Mac  Lasius."  In  the  Irish  Tripartite,  the 
entry  is  "  and  Gluaire  in  Latharna  (and  Mac  Laisre  is  in 
it.)"  The  Irish  word,  Gluair  or  Glor  signifies  "  pure,  clear, 
clean,"  descriptive  of  the  adjoining  river.  The  ancient 
cemetery  with  the  foundation  of  the  church,  measuring  45 
by  15  feet  is  in  Glebe.  It  is  valued  in  The  Taxation  of  Pope 
Nicholas  under  the  name  Ecdesia  Sancti  Fatricii  de 
Glenarum  at  10/- ;  and  in  the  Terrier  it  is  entered  "  Ecclesia 
de  Tath-mach-creevan  hath  5    acres   in   Glebe,   and   it  pays 


570  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Proxies,  20/-,  Refections,  20/-,  Synodals,  2/-."  The  Ulster 
Visitation  Book  of  1622,  enters  "  Ecclesia  de  Tecmacrevin, 
decayed."  Mac  Laisre  placed  over  the  church  by  St.  Patrick 
seems  to  be  the  same  person  as  Mac  Crevin,  or,  perhaps, 
more  correctly  Mo  Crevin,  from  whom  in  modern  times  the 
church  has  been  named  Tickmacrevin — "  the  house  of  Mac 
Crevin,  or  Mo  Crevin." 

At  the  distance  of  a  mile  further  down  the  river,  and  on 
the  same  side  of  it,  is  the  site  of  Templeoughter  {Teampull 
Uachtair — "  the  upper  church."  A  slight  irregularity  of  the 
ground  within  the  demesne,  a  little  south  of  the  castle,  marks 
the  traces  of  the  foundations,  and  a  small  portion  of  the 
cemetery  which  is  surrrounded  by  a  wall  is  claimed  as  the 
burying-place  of  one  or  two  families.  Out  of  the  ruins  a 
line  of  cabins  called  "  Beggars'  Row  "  was  built,  in  the  last 
century,  between  the  castle  and  the  site  of  tlie  church. 
About  the  year  1804  the  interest  of  the  occupants  in  these 
tenements  was  purchased  and  their  dwellings  levelled.  The 
Ord.  Surv.  distinguishes  the  spot  by  the  words  Church  Ruins. 
See  Reeves's  Eccl.  Antiq.  This  was  the  church  valued  in  the 
Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  as  Ecclesia  Sancte  Marie  de 
Glenarum  at  3  Marks,  The  Terrier  enters  "  Capella  Otrahe 
de  Glenarme  hath  5  acres  glebe,  pays  Proxies  2/-,  Refections 
2/-,  Synodals  2/-."  The  church  at  the  Dissolution  was 
appropriate  to  the  Abbey  of  the  Blessed  Mary  of  Kells,  and 
was  described  by  the  Inquisitions  as  being  in  vel  juxta 
Glenarm.  In  1622  the  Ulster  Visitation  Book  reports 
"Grange  de  Temple  Oughtragh  de  Glenarm — utterly  decayed. 
The  2nd  part  of  all  tithes  impropriate  to  the  abbey  of  Kella, 
and  possessed  by  the  Earl  of  Antrym.  The  third  part 
possest  by  said  Mr.  Dunbar  as  parcell  of  his  prebend,  rated 
Cibm  Ceteris  Membris,  Sec,  by  estimation  worth  XVs."     The 


THE  PARISH  OF  GLENAKM.  571 

lands  adjoining  this  church  and  extending  even  beyond  the 
river  were  formerly  see  lands.  They,  together  with  the 
castle  of  Glenarm  and  two-thirds  of  the  lands  of  Solar,  were 
let,  about  the  year  1270,  by  Robert  de  Fleming,  Bishop  of 
Connor,  to  John  Bissett.  The  townlands  attached  to 
Templeoughter,  or  St,  Mary's  of  Glenarm,  have  become  so 
intermingled  with,  those  belonging  to  Tickmacrevan,  or  St. 
Patrick's,  in  consequence  of  both  parishes  having  so  long  been 
under  the  same  Protestant  incumbent,  that  their  respective 
boundaries  can  no  longer  be  ascertained. 

A  monastery  at  Glenarm  was  built  in  the  year  1465, 
according  to  Allemande,  for  the  Franciscans  of  the  Third 
Order,  by  Robert  Bissett,  a  Scotch  gentleman,  with  the 
consent  of  the  Pope  and  the  Bishop  of  Connor,  Another 
Robert  Bisset,  a  cousin  to  the  founder,  was  Provincial  of  the 
Third  Order  in  Ireland.  Archdall  adds  that  this  monastery 
and  its  lauds  were  granted  to  Alexander  McDonnell,  ancestor 
to  the  Earl  of  Antrim.  A  local  tradition  relates  that  the 
body  of  Shane  O'Neill  was  interred  in  this  monastery,  and 
that  soon  after  his  interment  a  friar  from  Armagh  appeared 
at  the  gate  of  the  monastery  and  was  admitted.  "Father," 
said  he,  addressing  the  abbot,  •'  I  come  from  our  brothers  of 
Armagh  to  beg  of  you  that  you  will  permit  us  to  remove  the 
body  of  the  great  O'JSTeill  for  the  purpose  of  interment  in  the 
tomb  of  his  ancestors  in  Armagh."  The  abbot  of  Glenarm 
paused  for  a  moment  before  replying,  **  Have  you,"  said  he, 
"  brought  with  you  the  remains  of  James  M'Donnell,  Lord 
of  Antrim  and  Cantire,  who  was  buried  among  the  strangers 
of  Armagh  1  "  The  friar  answered  that  he  had  not  brought 
the  wished-for  remains.  "  Then,"  replied  the  abbot, 
"  whilst  you  continue  to  tread  on  James,  Lord  of 
Antrim   and   Cantire,  know   ye,    that  we,  here  in  Glenarm, 


572  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

will  continue  to  trample  on  the  dust  of  your  great  O'Neill." 
Hills  McDonnells,  Unfortunately  for  the  truth  of  the  story 
it  is  most  unlikely  that  his  enemies  would  havs  carried  the 
remains  of  Shane  from  beyond  Cushenduu  for  interment  in 
Glenarm,  and  the  Franciscan  friars  never  had  an  abbot. 
The  ruins  of  the  friary  were  pulled  down  to  supply  material 
for  erecting  the  present  Protestant  church,  and  nothing  now 
remains  except  some  foundations  in  the  churchyard  which 
seem  to  have  belonged  to  a  cruciform  building.  The  remains 
of  Father  O'Donnell  P.P.,  Belfast,  were  interred  in  this 
graveyard.  "A  modest  monument,"  says  Mr.  Cramsie — 
Life  and  Times  of  the  Bev.  Hugh  O'Donnell — "  points  out 
the  place,  on  it  is  carved  the  O'Donnell  arms,  with  the 
motto  of  that  family — In  hoc  signo  vinbes — and  the 
inscription. 

Also  on  the  \st  of  Jafiuary,  1814,  the  body  of 

the  Rev.  Huyh  O'Donnell,  aged  75  years, 

who  loas  Parish  Priest 

of  Belfast  during  44  years. 

Closed  is  the  hand  that  often  gave  relief, 

And  cold  the  heart  that  heat  to  each  man's  grief. 

"  In  Bridge  Street  was  formerly,"  writes  Dr.  Reeves,  "  an 
ancient  chapel,  the  ruins  of  which  were  removed  to  make 
way  for  the  ornamental  school  house  which  now  stands  there. 
A  burial  ground  was  attached  to  it  which  is  now  converted 
to  other  purposes,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  space  which 
is  still  claimed  by  one  family,  and  over  which  is  one  tomb- 
stone enclosed  by  walls.  The  name  of  this  chapel  is  now 
forgotten." 

Kichard  Dobbs  in  his  Description  of  the  County  of  Antrim 
in  1683,  says:— 


THE  PARISH  OP  GLENARM.  573 

North-west  of  this  park  is  the  town  of  Glenarm  and  the  Bay.  The 
harbour  is  safe  made  by  a  river  running  through  the  town,  but 
coming  over  the  Bar  being  filled  commonly  with  round  stones 
shuflBed  to  and  fro,  between  the  sea  and  the  river,  which  runs  out 
very  violently  after  great  rains.  Here  lie  boats  of  18  or  20  tons. 
All  about  this  town  the  rocks  are  white  limestone,  whereof  they 
build  their  houses  ;  at  the  foot  of  the  river  is  an  old  abbey.  Several 
good  springs  are  about  this,  especially  Tobber  Owen  (River  Well), 
which  runs  like  a  small  brook  into  the  big  river  near  the  sea.  This 
town  is  all  thatched  houses,  except  the  Earl  of  Antrim's,  the  church, 
and  one  more  ;  over  the  river  and  between  the  town  and  the  Earl's 
house  (the  main  house  was  burnt  by  the  Irish  in  the  last  rebellion)  is 
a  handsome  stone  bridge,  of  two  or  three  arches  erected  last  summer. 
Here  is  likewise  a  meeting  house  at  some  distance  from  the  town, 
the  inhabitants  for  the  most  part  Scotch  and  Presbyterians  ;  above 
in  the  Glens  most  Irish  and  Papists  ;  here  are  two  fairs  and  a 
market  town,  but  no  market  kept,  every  one  buying  or  selling  as 
they  find  their  opportunity.  This  place  afi'ords  small  cattle,  flax, 
yarn,  beef,  tallow,  butter,  ill  lodging,  and  bad  cooks  for  the  most 
part.  Salmon  are  caught  here  at  the  foot  of  the  river,  in  May  and 
June,  and  take  this  for  a  general  lule,  where  the  Scotch  or  Irish  make 
the  market,  no  grain  is  brought  to  the  market — only  oatmeal,  except 
some  little  quantities  at  Belfast.  This  town  is  so  encompassed  with 
hills,  except  the  one  way,  which  is  from  Broughshane,  it  does  not 
appear  until  you  may  throw  a  bullet  into  it  with  a  carabine,  and  so 
you  may  imagine  the  ways — extraordinary  for  foot  or  horse  ;  yet 
above  the  town  is  the  glen  through  which  the  river  runs,  and  is  clad 
with  underwoods,  is  the  pleasantest  hunting  for  buck  that  ever  I 
saw,  and  you  may  ride  in  either  side,  and  have  the  dogs  or  bucks,  or 
both  continually  in  view,  and  stand  in  a  manner  still  for  two  hours 
together.  The  sea  here  affords  plenty  of  fish,  but  the  people  are  in 
no  way  industrious  to  take  them.  The  Mull  of  Kintire  in  Scotland 
appears  to  the  foot  of  this  town. 

We  have  already  related  (pp.  9-10.)  hovs^  the  lands  in  the 
vicinity  of  Larne  and  Glenarm  were  conferred  by  King  John 
on  Duncan  Fitzgilbert,  from  whom  probably  Ballygilbert  is 
named.  He  was  a  Welshman,  the  uncle  of  Alan  and 
Thomas  de  Galloway,  on  whom  the  King  conferred  all 
Dalaradia,  except  w^hat  he  had  conferred  on  this  Duncan. 


574  DIOCESE   OF    CONNOR. 

When,  however,  De  Bourgo  again  recovered  Dalaradia  he 
granted  the  Glynns  and  Rathlin  to  John  Bisset,  who  had  fled 
from  Scotland  on  account  of  the  murder,  in  1242,  of  Thomas 
of  Galloway.  The  Bissets  erected  a  castle  in  Glenarm  on 
the  southern  side  of  the  river,  just  opposite  the  present 
castle,  and  at  the  top  of  the  little  street  leading  from  the 
Barbican.  The  possessions  ofthe  Bissets  passed  (see  pp.  16-17) 
to  the  M'Donnell's,  but  frequently  their  castles  were  held 
by  their  enemies.  Thus,  in  Sir  Henry  Sidney's  Memoir  of 
his  government  of  Ireland,  he  says  that  he  placed  **  The 
lustie  yonge  Captain  William  Horsey  in  Glenarm  in  the 
Glynnes,"  and  during  the  wars  of  Elizabeth  it  was  generally 
garrisoned  by  English.  We  have  mentioned  (p.  17.)  that 
the  Queen's  government  conferred  the  lands  of  the  Bissets  on 
various  chieftains  of  the  M'Donnells  with  the  view  of 
detaching  them  from  Sorley  Boy.  And  when,  eventually, 
Sorley  and  his  sons  had  obtained  possession  of  all,  we  find 
them  reported  (see  p.  25)  to  the  government  for  breaking 
down  the  castle  of  Glenarm  The  old  castle  never  was  I'e- 
built.  Sir  Raudall,  immediately  after  obtaining  a  grant  of 
the  estates,  erected  on  the  northern  side  of  the  river  the 
oldest  portion  of  the  present  castle,  which  he  enlarged  in 
1636,  and  placed  the  following  inscription  over  its  principal 
entrance  : — 

WITH  THE  LEAVE  OF 
GOD,  THIS  CASTLE 

WAS  BUILT  BY  SIR 

HANDLE  McDONNEL, 

KNIGHT,  ERLE  OF  ANTRIM, 

HAVEINGE  TO  HIS 

WIFE,  DAME  A  ELLIS 
O'NEILL,  IN  THE  YEARE 
OF  OUR  LORD  GOD,  1636. 


THE  PARISH  OF  GLENARM.  575 

Munroe,  the  Scottish  general,  about  the  middle  of  April, 
1642,  "  Made  a  prey  of  about  five  thousand  cows,  burnt 
Glenarm,  a  town  belonging  to  the  Earl  of  Antrim,  and 
wasted  that  nobleman's  lands."  Carte — though  this  burning 
is  ascribed,  as  usual  by  Dobbs,  to  the  Irish.  After  the 
Earls  of  Antrim  abandoned  Ballymagarry  House  the  castle 
of  Glenarm  became  their  principal  residence.  It  was 
arranged  in  its  present  form  by  Mr,  Edmund  (Phelps) 
M'Donnell,  the  husband  of  the  Countess  of  Antrim,  who 
placed  over  the  arch  on  the  northern  front  of  the  Barbican, 
through  which  is  the  apj  roach  to  the  castle,  the  following 
inscription  : — 

THIS  GATEWAY 

WAS  BUILT  AND  THE  CASTLE  RESTORED 

BY  EDMUND  M'DONNELL,  ESQUIRE, 

AND  HIS  WIFE,  ANNE  KATHERINE, 

IN  HER  OWN  WRIGHT, 

COUNTESS     OF     ANTRIM     AND     VISCOUNTESS 

DUNLUCE. 

A.D.,  1825. 

Civil  Parish  of  Garncastle. — The  ancient  raensal  parish  of 
Solar  now  absorbed  in  the  civil  parish  of  Garncastle,  ex- 
tended over  Minnis  North  and  South,  Slievebane,  Drumna- 
greagh,  Solar,  Lisnahay  North  and  South.  The  foundations 
of  the  ancient  church,  measuring  48  by  20  feet,  are  in  the 
townland  of  Solar.  The  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  values 
'  Rectory  of  the  Church  of  Salower "  at  45/-,  and  "  The 
Vicarage  of  the  same"  at  5  marks.  A.D,  1278,  it  was  found 
that  John  Byset  held  in  capite  of  the  Bishop  of  Connor  two- 
parts  of  the  lands  of  Psalor,  with  the  castle  of  Glenharm,  at 
ten  marks  and  one  hawk  paid  to  Robert,  Bishop  of  Connor, 


576  DIOCESE   OP   CONNOR. 

in  right  of  his  church,  Inq.  P.M.,  6  Ed.  1  Tur.  Lond.  See 
Reeves's  Eccl.  Antiq.  />.  32.  It  would  seem  that  at  that 
period  the  townland  of  Solar  was  held  by  the  vicar,  and  that 
it  constituted  the  one-third  which  was  not  leased  to  Byset. 
The  lands  as  well  as  the  castle  leased  to  Byset  eventually 
ceased  to  be  episcopal  lands,  while  the  townland  of  Solar  con- 
tinued among  the  possessions  of  the  see.  The  Terrier  says  . 
'*  Solour  is  a  bishop's  mensal  in  spiritualities.  It  hath  5 
acres  glebe — it  hath  5  acres,  it  pays  Proxies,  Ij-,  Refections, 
1/-,  Synodals,  2/-."  In  1622  the  church  is  described  as 
"  decayed,"  and  the  episcopal  lands  were  let  along  with  those 
of  Inispollan  to  the  Earl  of  Antrim,  for  the  yearly  rent  of 
£2  6s  8d.  The  Parliamentary  Report  on  the  See  Lands,  in 
1833,  reports  the  lands  of  Solar,  as  held  with  other  see 
property,  by  the  heirs  of  R.  Smith.  An  ancient  quadrangular 
bell  made  of  sheet  iron,  is  labelled  in  the  Belfast  Museum: 
"  Bell  of  Solar,  presented  by  James  Boyle,  C.E."  The  thin 
plate  of  sheet  iron,  of  which  the  bell  is  composed,  is  made  to 
overlap,  and  is  then  welded  and  rivetted,  after  which  it  was 
dipped  into  molten  bronze,  some  of  which  still  adheres  to  it. 
The  height  of  the  bell  is  9  inches,  its  circumference  at  the 
mouth  22  inches,  at  the  top  15|  inches,  breadth  across  the 
top  6|  inches,  at  the  mouth  it  is  7^  by  6  inches.  The  staples 
or  feet  of  the  handle  rising  out  of  the  top  are  3|  inches 
apart,  but  the  handle  is  broken  off,  and  there  is  no  appear- 
ance of  a  clapper.* 

*  Another  square  iron  bell  in  the  Benn  Collection,  Belfast  Museum, 
labelled — "  Found  in  a  bog  near  Ballymena  " — is  of  nearly  the  same 
measurements.  Height  9.^  inches,  circumference  at  the  mouth  23 
inches,  at  the  top  17  inches,  breadth  across  the  top  6  inches,  the 
mouth  measures  74  by  5.^  inches,  breadth  between  the  staples  of  the 
handle  4  inches. 

A  similar  iron  bell  found  in  a   stream  between  the  townlands  of 


THE  PARISH  OF  GLENARM.  577 

On  the  eastern  slope  of  Ballygilbert  hill  is  a  Cromleach, 
locally  known  as  Cloughogan,  it  forms  part  of  a  hedge  near 
a  cottage,  and  has  long  been  used  as  a  pigstye  and  poultry 
house.  For  this  purpose  the  open  spaces  between  the 
upright  stones  have  been  carefully  filled  with  small  stones. 
There  are  many  other  stone  monuments  in  the  immediate 
locality.  Mr.  Gray  has  given  a  drawing  of  his  monument  in 
his  Cromlechs  of  Antrim  and  Down. 

In  the  townland  of  Saint  Cunning  is  an  ancient  graveyard, 
containing  the  foundations  of  a  church  measuring  48  by  20 
feet.  It  would  seem  that  this  is  the  church,  the  foundation  of 
which  by  St.  Patrick  is  mentioned  in  the  Tripartite  Life,  among 
his  transactions  in  the  territory  of  Dalaradia.  The  passage 
in  Colgan's  Latin  version  is,  "  Many  other  churches  and 
cells  (cellas)  the  man  of  God  founded  in  the  same  territory 
of  Dalaradia  .  .  .  likewise  the  church  of  TuUagh, 
which  is  also  Kill-Chonadhain  (pronoimced  Kill-Chonayan), 
and  Gluaire,  &c.,  in  the  district  of  Larne,"  &c.  The  passage 
in  the  Irish  Tripartite  Life  is — "  And  he  founded  many 
churches  in  Dal  Araidhe,  viz.  .  .  and  Telach-Conadain 
and  Gluaire  in  Latharna,"  Ac.  The  festival  of  a  saint 
"  Conaing,  son  of  Lucunan "  is  entered  on  the  23rd  of 
September  in  the  Calendar  of  Donegal.  The  church  is  not 
entered  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas,  but  the  Terrier 
has  "  Capella  de  St.  Conning  hath  5  acres  glebe — pays 
Proxies  3/-,  Refections,  3/-,  Synodals  2/  ."  The  Visitation 
Book  of  1622  enters  it  by  mistake  Camlin,  but  the  mistake 

Craigatempin  and  Glenlough,  in  a  pool  known  by  the  name  Bannat-a- 
Unn,  parish  of  Ballymoney,  was  in  the  possession  of  James  Bell,  of 
Prospect,  Ballymoney.  Mr.  Knowles,  Ballymena,  has  a  quad- 
rangular bronzed  sheet-iron  bell  that  was  found  in  Kilmakevet,  at 
Cullybackey.  It  has  a  handle  and  a  clapper.  For  an  account  of 
other  ecclesiastical  bells,  see  vols.  I,  II,  &  III. 

2  M 


578  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

is  obvious  for  it  is  mentioned  among  the  churches  united  by 
the  charter  of  James  I.  to  the  Prebend  of  Rasharkin.  The 
entry  is,  '■  Grange  de  Cauilin  [recte  Cunning)  decayed.  The 
2nd  part  of  all  tithes  impropriate  to  St.  John  de  Jerusalem, 
and  possest  by  the  Earl  of  Antrim,  the  3rd  part  ut  supra 
(possessed  by  Mr.  Dunbar  as  part  of  his  prebend)  esteemed 
to  be  worth  10/-  per  annum."  In  the  Report  of  the  Parlia- 
mentary Commission  of  Inquiry,  into  the  State  of  the 
Parishes  of  County  Antrim,  which  was  held  in  the  town  of 
Antrim,  on  the  23rd  of  October,  1657,  it  is  stated  : — 

"St.  CunniDg,  a  small  impropriate  grange,  anciently  belonging  to 
the  Abbey  of  Mucbamore,  and  in  the  year  1640  to  the  Earl  of  Antrim, 
and  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Commonwealth.  The  vicarage 
belonged  to  the  Prebend  of  Magherasharkin,  who  in  right  of  said 
Vicarage,  received  the  third  part  of  all  the  tithes,  which  were  worth 
in  the  year  1640,  three  pounds,  and  are  now  worth  three  pounds. 
It  consisteth  of  two  towns  and  a  sixth  part.  It  hath  no  Church, 
Glebe,  nor  Incumbent." 

The  Commissioners  of  the  Commonwealth  were  mistaken  in 
their  finding  that  the  rectory  beloneed  to  the  abbey  of 
Muckamore.  It  belonged  to  St.  John  of  Jerusalem  as  stated 
in  the  Terrier,  hence  it  is  not  taxed  in  the  Pope  Nicholas's 
Taxation,  which  exempted  the  possessions  of  the  Knights 
of  St.  John. 

Richard  Dobbs,  writing  in  1683,  in  describing  the  district 
from  Larne,  says  : — 

But  to  proceed  northward — near  the  entrance  into  this  harbour  are 
high  black  rocks,  being  the  face  of  the  hill  called  the  Black  Cave, 
here  is  some  freestone,  limestone,  and  some  grey  coarse  marble  upon 
the  shore  ;  beyond  this  about  a  mile  a  small  fresh  river  runs  into  the 
sea,  and  above  a  mile  beyond  that  is  Ballygelly  Hill,  which  appears 
a  good  way  to  the  sea.  Under  this  hill  is  a  small  building  about  16 
feet  square,  upon  a  rock  in  the  sea,  where  one  Aguew,  an  Irish  poet, 
dwelt   in   old  times,  and   near  halt  a  mile  further,  haid  upon  the 


THE  PARISH  OF  GLKMAKM.  579 

shore,  stands  the  house  of  Ballygelly  belonging  to  Captain  Shaw. 
A  strong  house  yet  robbed  lately  by  the  Torys  of  Londonderry.  There 
is  in  the  parish  of  Carncastle  a  Church  and  Meeting- House,  Limuell 
Matthews  Prebendary  of  Carncastle — all  Presbyterians. 

Tlie  castle,  or  fortified  house,  of  Ballygelly  was  erected  by 
a  Mr,  Shaw,  in  1625,  who  placed  that  date,  his  wife's  name, 
and  his  arms  on  a  stone  over  one  of  the  doors.  It  consists 
of  three  stories  and  a  garret,  to  which  light  was  admitted  by 
little  lattices,  and  the  approach  to  the  upper  stories  was  by 
a  winding  stone  stair  inside,  placed  in  the  back  part  of  the 
building.  The  approach  to  the  stair  was  guarded  by  a  strong 
iron  door,  set  in  a  stone  door-case.  The  steep  roof  and 
antiquated  turrets  of  this  interesting  building  give  to  it  a 
venerable  appearance.  The  Shaws  came  from  Glasgow  to 
participate  in  the  good  fortune  that  awaited  their  country- 
men in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  James  I. ,  when  what  is 
now  called  the  sacred  rights  of  property  was  not  well  under- 
stood. They  were  connected  with  the  Montgomeries  of  the 
Ards.  During  the  war  in  1641  James  Shaw  fortified  his 
house,  and  when  he  retired  with  his  family  to  Scotland  it 
was  garrisoned  with  his  tenantiy  under  the  command  of 
James  Cromie.  In  1653,  Shaw  was  one  of  those  whom 
Oliver  Cromwell  intended  to  transport  into  the  County  of 
Tipperary.  In  the  war  against  James  II.  the  Shaws  took  a 
distinguished  part.  The  trenches  of  Portglenone  were 
defended,  on  the  7th  of  April,  1689,  against  the  Irish  by 
Colonel  Edmonstone,  of  Red  Hall,  and  his  Lieutenant  Col. 
William  Shaw.  The  last  of  the  family  was  William  Shaw, 
who  staked  his  paternal  property  on  the  chances  of  a 
mercantile  speculation  in  the  town  of  Belfast,  and  being 
unfortunate  he  sold  his  estate  and  left  the  country.  He  died 
in  London,  February  2nd,  1850,  aged  56,  and  unmarried. 


580  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Beneath  the  promontory  of  Ballygelly,  and  on  a  rock 
which  is  completely  insulated  at  high  water,  stand  the  ruins 
of  a  castle  which  gives  name  to  the  parish,  and  which  derives 
the  prefix  Cam  from  the  rock  on  which  it  stands.  The 
castle  is  entered  on  some  old  maps  under  the  name  Orog 
Castle,  evidently  a  mistake  for  Crag  Castle.  "  This  pile," 
says  the  Parliamentary  Gazeteer,  "  like  a  number  of  others, 
is  traditionally  alleged  to  have  been  erected  by  an  ancient 
prince,  to  protect  from  the  addresses  of  an  unwelcome  suitor 
the  person  of  his  high-born  daughter,  who,  of  course^  held 
family  dignity  and  military  fortifieation  in  derison,  and  was 
duly  carried  off  by  her  enterprising  admirer."  This  legend 
was  published  in  Gaelic,  in  February,  1830,  in  the  Gaelic 
Messenger.  The  castle  seems  to  have  been  built  by  some  of 
the  early  English  adventurers,  perhaps  by  Duncan  Fitz 
Gilbert,  whose  name  seems  to  survive  in  the  neighbouring 
Ballygilbert,  as  King  John  had  conferred  on  him  all  the 
lands  in  the  vicinity.  It  was  this  Duncan,  no  doubt,  who 
conferred  the  chapel  of  St.  Cunning  and  the  church  of 
Carncastle  on  the  Prior  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem.  The 
O'Gneeves  or  Agnews  who  afterwards  possessed  the  old  pile 
were  clan-bards  to  the  O'Neills  of  Clannaboy.  The  chief 
bards  had  frequently  extensive  lands  granted  to  them  by  the 
clans  whom  they  served.  Many  of  them  were  therefore 
enabled  to  live  in  splendid  mansions.  For  an  account  of 
Agnew,  of  Kilwaughter,  see  Vol.  III.,  p.  207. 

The  church  of  Cai-ncastle  was  beautifully  situated,  nestling 
under  the  Sallagh  Braes,  with  Khockdhu  and  the  Skaagh 
Hill  in  the  background,  and  in  front  the  bold  headland  over 
the  old  castle.  In  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  "  Yicaria 
de  Karkastell  "  is  valued  at  5  Marks.  The  vicarage  is  only 
taxed  because   the  rectory   belonged,  like  the  Chapel  of  St. 


THE  PARISH  OF  GLENARM.  581 

Cunning,  to  the  Hospitallers.  An  Inquisition  taken  in 
Antrim  in  1605  found  that  the  Prior  of  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem  was  at  the  Dissolution  seized  of  the  rectory  of 
Carnecaslane,  in  the  barony  of  Larne,  in  the  Route,  consist- 
ing of  seven  townlands,  with  the  advowson  of  the  vicarage. 
The  Terrier  enters  "  Ecclesia  de  Carncastle ;  5  acres  glebe, 
Proxies  10/-,  Refections  10/-,  Synodals  2/-,"  The  Ulster 
Visitation  Book  of  1622  reports — "  Ecclesia  de  Carnecastle, 
noe  church,  but  the  wals  fain  to  the  ground;  a  house  builded 
in  the  churchyard,  at  the  charges  of  the  parish,  where  they 
assemble  together."  The  Report  on  the  pai'ish  made  by  the 
Parliamentary  Commissioners  in  1657,  states — 

"  It  consists  of  five  townlands  and  a  half,  and  is  bounded  on  the 
east  by  the  parish  of  Inver,  on  the  south  by  the  parish  of  Killyglen, 
on  the  west  by  the  Grange  of  St.  Cunning,  and  on  the  north  by  the 
sea  .  .  .  The  tithes  of  the  parish  are  paid  to  the  said  Prebendary 
and  the  duties,  thereof,  answered  and  paid  as  is  set  down  in  the 
former  parishes,  viz.  : — fourpence  for  every  married  couple  yearly, 
and  twopence  for  every  single  communicant  at  Easter  ;  for  every 
christening  twelvepence,  and  for  every  marriage  two  shillings.  The 
Parish  Clerk  received  for  every  one  of  the  said  duties,  respectively, 
half  the  sum  before  set  down,  and  fourpence  yearly,  at  Easter,  for 
every  householder  or  married  couple." 

The  five  acres  glebe  mentioned  in  the  Terrier,  are  declared 
by  the  Inquisition  of  1605  to  be  "  usurped  and  possessed  by 
a  layman  as  his  temporal  land.''  Some  remains  of  the 
ancient  church  are  still  be  seen  in  the  churchyard. 

Along  Knockdhu  is  a  pass  leading  from  Carncastle  to  the 
valley  of  the  Glenarm  river,  evidently  once  important,  as  it 
is  defended  by  sundry  earthworks,  two  of  these,  one  circular 
and  one  square,  but  not  much  raised  above  the  level  of  the 
ground,  defended  the  end  of  the  pass  in  the  townland  of 
Linford.     At   a   little    distance    is   a   cairn   known  as   the 


682  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

"  Headless  Cross."  There  is  now  no  cross  there,  but  when 
this  name  was  attached  to  it  there  were  obviously  the  remains 
of  a  cross  erected,  probably,  where  warriors  had  fallen 
defending  that  pass.  About  half  a  mile  from  the  cairn  is  a 
block  of  stone  about  3  feet  square,  upon  which  are  inscribed 
two  crosses — one  rudely  carved.  On  the  top  of  the  slab  is  a 
plain  cross,  but  one  of  the  ends  of  the  slab  has  incised  into  it 
an  ornamental  cross,  18  inches  long  and  12  inches  wide,  the 
four  limbs  of  which  terminate  in  triangles.  This  sculptured 
slab  is  called  "  The  Priest's  Grave,"  and  is  in  the  townland 
of  Duntaeige,  parish  of  Tickmacrevan — near  it  is  a  "  Giant's 
Grave,"  or  Kistvaen,  but  the  entire  district  for  miles  is 
extremely  rich  in  Standing  Stones,  and  other  megalithic. 
memorials  of  the  past. 

Grange  of  Killyglen. — The  Rectory  of  Kilglan  (Killyglen) 
was  valued  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  at  5  Marks  and 
"the  Vicarage  of  the  same  "at  4|  Marks.  On  the  margin 
is  a  note  that  the  rectory  was  appropriate  to  the  Prior  of 
Muokamore.  The  ancient  register  of  that  monastery  con- 
tained an  entry  that  the  church  of  St.  John  of  Kilglan  was 
confirmed  to  Muckamore  by  Isaac,  Bishop  of  Connor,  which 
must  have  occurred  about  the  year,  1251.  The  Terrier 
enters,  "  Ecclesia  de  Killyglyne  was  of  Muckamore,  and 
hath  5  acres  of  glebe,  but  Sir  Randal  (MacDonnell)  keeps  it 
so  that  the  prebend  hath  but  the  third  part — Proxies  5/-, 
Refections,  5/-,  Synodals,  2/-."  The  Visitation  Book  of 
1622  reports  "  Grange  de  Killyglynne  decayed  the  2nd  part 
of  all  the  tithe  impropriate  to  the  abbey  of  Muckamore, 
possessed  by  the  Earl  of  Antrim."  The  other  third  was 
paid  to  the  Protestant  Prebend,  but  that  third  was  disputed, 
and  eventually  the  parishioners  were  successful  at  law 
against   the   claimant    of  that  portion  of  the  tithes.     The 


THE  PARISH  OP  GLENABM.  583 

Grange  contains  the  townlands  of  Ballymullock,  Drains, 
Dromain,  and  Killyglen.  In  the  last  named  townland  the 
foundations  of  the  church — measuring  about  66  feet  by  24 — 
may  still  be  seen  in  a  field  near  the  middle  of  the  parish, 
where  also  may  be  traced  the  remains  of  an  ancient  burying- 
ground,  now  lying  unenclosed  and  almost  entirely  fallen  into 
disuse.  The  names  of  the  neighbouring  fields,  "  Chapel- 
field,"  and  "  Monk's  Cell,"  recall  the  memory  of  the  former 
sacred  character  of  the  spot. 

Civil  Parish  of  Kihoaughter. — In  Mullaghsandall  town- 
land,  which  is  said  to  derive  its  name  from  De  Sendall,  one 
of  the  Anglo-Noi'man  invaders,  there  is  a  rath  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation.  It  is  situated  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  north-east  of  the  schoolhouse,  about  20  perches  east  of 
the  road  from  Larne  to  Ballymena,  and  very  near  the 
boundary  of  the  civil  parish.  Its  shape  is  nearly  oval,  120 
by  72  feet  in  diameter,  and  about  18  or  20  feet  high,  and 
has  neither  parapet  nor  trench  round  it.  The  entire  district 
which  constitutes  the  present  Catholic  parish  of  Glenarm,  is 
extremely  rich  in  raths  and  earthworks,  many  of  them  very 
interesting,  but  they  are  too  numerous  to  give  an  account  of 
each  of  them. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Mass  Stations  at  which  the  Catholics,  who  resided 
within  the  districts  constituting  the  present  Catholic  parish 
of  Glenarm,  generally  attended  during  times  of  persecution, 
were  situated  within  the  present  Catholic  parish  ofCarnlough.* 

*  The  Mass  Bock,  in  Ballyvaddy  (see  p.  567),  is  in  the  farm  of 
Eliza  Wilson.  The  rock  is  sometimes  named  Chellys  Rock,  from 
Chelly  M'Larnon,  one  of  two  sisters  to  whom  the  farm  belonged, 
when  Mass  was  celebrated  at  the  rock.     It   is  nearly  opposite  the 


584  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

The  principal  Mass  Statioo,  within  the  bounds  of  the  parish 
of  Glenarm,  was  at  Chapel  Hall,  in  the  farm  at  present 
belonging  to  P.  Magill,  in  the  townland  of  Aghaboy.  In 
the  farm  of  William  M'Mullan,  on  Cruckan  Hill,  near  the 
confines  of  the  parish  of  Camlough,  is  a  place  named  Mass 
Hill,  on  which  the  large  stone,  that  had  been  formerly  used 
as  an  altar,  still  remains.  In  the  year  1810  Father  James 
M'Mullan  erected  a  little  chapel  in  Feystown,in  the  townland 
of  Clady.  Father  James  O'Neill,  in  1827,  obtained, 
at  the  nominal  rent  of  6d  per  annum,  from  Edmond 
M'Donnell,  Esq.,  and  his  wife,  the  Countess  of  Antrim, 
a  lease  of  a  plot  of  ground,  containing  la.  2r.  29p.  in 
Glenarm,  Old  Park,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  on  it  a 
church,  school-house,  and  forming  in  it  a  graveyard,  and 
for  other  purposes.  The  church  was  dedicated,  in 
1828,  by  Dr.  Crolly,  under  the  invocation  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary.  The  new  church,  commonly  called  that 
of  Feystown,  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  the 
old  chapel,  which,  after  the  erection  of  the  church,  was 
allowed  to  moulder  to  ruin.  The  church  was  improved  by 
Father  Starkey,  but  it  was  completely  rearranged  by  Father 
Delahunty. 

The  church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  Glenarm.  In  April,  1860,  Robert  Gibson 
and  Anne,  his   wife,  who   were   possessed  of  a   premises  in 

new  schoolhouse  lately  erected  by  Father  Dempsey.  On  the  farm  of 
James  Black,  near  this,  are  two  trees,  a  few  perches  apart,  around 
the  bases  of  which  stones  were  built  up.  These  structures  served 
for  altars,  and  the  one  selected  for  use  on  any  day  was  the  one  which 
happened  to  be  the  more  sheltered  from  the  wind  that  was  blowing. 
A  few  years  ago  the  farmer  thoughtlessly  removed  these  structures — 
the  hallowed  memorials  of  a  people's  suflferings  for  their  faith,  that 
reflected  on  it  greater  glory  than  would  the  costliest  church  in 
Christendom. 


THE  PARISH  OF  GLENARM.  585 

Glenarm,  granted^  in  1743,  by  Alexander,  Earl  of  Antrim, 
to  James  M'Master,  for  lives  renewable  for  ever,  agreed  to 
sell  those  premises  to  Archibald  M'Neill,  Patrick  Magill, 
jun.,  and  Charles  Connolly,  trustees,  representing  the  Bishop, 
Dr.  Denvir,  and  the  Parish  Priest,  Father  Starkey.  The 
site  is  at  the  entrance  to  the  town  by  the  great  coast-road 
from  Larne.  On  this  site  Father  Delahunty  erected  the 
beautiful  church  from  designs  of  Messrs.  O'Neill  &  Byrne, 
Architects.  The  builder  was  Mr.  A.  M'Neill,  of  Glenarm, 
It  is  erected  in  the  early  pointed  style  of  architecture,  and 
its  walls  are  of  the  black  stone  of  the  country,  with  white 
cut-stone  dressings.  The  church  was  solemnly  dedicated  hj 
Dr.  Dorrian,  on  the  30th  May,  1875.  The  sermon  on  the 
occasion  was  preached  by  the  Very  Rev.  Alphonsus  O'Neill, 
Rector  of  Holy  Cross,  Ardoyne,  who  took  for  his  text  a 
portion  of  the  Magnificat.     The  collection  amounted  to  ,£440. 

PARISH  PRIESTS. 

In  1704,  the  Rev.  Edmond  Moore,  aged  58  years,  and 
resident  in  Glenarm,  registered  himself  in  Carrickfergus  as 
Popish  Priest  of  Tickmacrevan,  Raloo,  Kilwaughter,  and 
Carrickfergus.     He   entered  that  he   had  been  ordained  in 

1669,  by  Dr.  Patrick  Plunket,  Bishop  of  Meath,  at 
Ardpatrick ;  his  sureties  were  Samuel  Shennen,  Gentleman, 
of  Antrim,  and  Henry  Dun,  Gentleman,  of  Carrickfergus, 
who,  each,  bailed  him  in  £50.  Father  Moore  is  returned 
by  the  Primate   Oliver  Plunket,  in   his  Relatio  to  Rome,  in 

1670,  under  the  name  "  Edmundus  O'More,"  as  one  of  the 
priests  of  Connor.  He  was  one  of  the  three  priests  of  the 
diocese  of  Down  and  Connor,  who  were  attainted  at 
Banbridge,  on  the  10th  of  October,  1691,  for  being  active 
supporters  of  King  James  II.     The  other  two  were  "William 


586  DIOCESE    OF   CONNOR. 

O'Lavery  (O'Laverty)  Clerk,  Saul",  and  "  Edward  O'Doran, 
Clerk,  Kilcoo."  Father  Moore's  parish  now  forms  the  larger 
part  of  the  parishes  of  Carnlough  and  Ballyclare,  together 
with  the  parishes  of  Glenarm,  Lame,  and  Carrickfergus,  in 
which  seven  priests  are  at  present  officiating.  It  would  seem 
from  M'Skimin  that  his  name  appears  as  officiating  in  the 
county  of  the  town  of  Carrickfergus,  in  1732,  when  he  was 
consequently  86  years  of  age.  At  wliat  period  this  persecuted 
priest,  who,  at  that  period,  might  have  been  wearied  of  the 
world,  went  to  his  reward  we  know  not ;  nor  do  we  know 
how  he  was  assisted  in  his  arduous  mission. 

On  the  death  of  Father  Moore  the  districts  of  Carrickfergus, 
Larne,  and  Raloo  were  severed  froai  the  more  northern 
districts,  and  constituted  unto  what  was  termed  the  parish  of 
Larne  and  Carrickfergus,  while  the  more  northern  districts 
were  formed  unto  what  was  commonly  called  the  parish  of 
Glenarm.  This  arrangement  of  those  parishes,  made  about 
1730,  remained  unchanged  until  the  Easter  conference  of 
1852. 

Father  Neal  Boy  M'Auley  succeeded  Father  Moore  in  the 
parish  of  Glenarm  ;  he  was  a  brother  of  Father  Patrick 
M'Auley,  of  Glenravel,  but  nothing  is  known  of  him,  and 
local  tradition  has  preserved  an  equally  confused  recollection 

of  two  priests Doran  and Walsh,  who  officiated 

in  the  parish,  either  as  his  successors  or  assistants.  With 
regard  to  Walsh,  I  suspect  that  he  was  not  a  priest  but  the 
Protestant  Minister  of  the  parish.  The  following  paper  is 
preserved  in  the  State  Paper  Office,  Dublin  : — 

Glenarm,  18th  April,  1766. 
Pursuant  to  ye  direction  of  Bishop,  ye  following  is  ye  Return  of  ye 
number  of  Families  in  ye  united  parishes  of  Oughter  and  Tickmacrevau 
in  ye  diocese. 


THE  PARISH  OF  GLENARM.  587 

Protestant  Families  of  ye  Church  of  England  and  Dissenters       294 
Papist  Families  ...  ...  ...  ...  ..  181 

One  Popish  Priest,  resident — Sometimes  visited  by  travelling  Fryars. 
1  am  your  obedient  servant, 

Wm.  Walsh. 

About  the  year  1770,  the  Rev,  John  Mulhollan  was 
appointed  to  Glenarm ;  he  was  a  brother  of  the  Rev. 
Bernard  Mulhollan,  P.P.,  of  Cushendall,  and  of  Father  Hugh 
Mulhollan,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  Franciscan.  At 
the  investigation  regarding  the  parish  of  Coleraine,  the 
names  of  these  bi'others  are  completely  confused.  The 
supposed  Franciscan,  who  officiated  from  time  to  time  in  the 
Ballymagarry  district,  and  who  seems  to  have  been  the 
eldest  of  the  brothers  is  named  Bernard,  though  that  was  the 
name  of  the  second  brother,  who  afterwards  became  Parish 
Priest  of  Cushendall,  while  the  youngest  of  the  brothers,  who 
preceded  Father  James  Fegan  in  the  curacy  of  Ballymagarry, 
is  named  Hugh,  in  the  evidence  given  at  Coleraine.  The 
Protestant  minister  of  Billy  in  his  report  on  that  j^arish,  in 
1766, says  : — 

Protestant  Families  of  the  Established  Church    ...  ...         190 

,,  ,,         Dissenters  ...  ..  ...  ...         318 

Papist  Families  ...  ...  ...  ..  ...  36 

The  Popish  Priest's  name  is  John  Mulhollan,  he  has  charge  of  six 
parishes.     I  know  no  Friar  here. 

It  was  this  Father  John  Mulhollan  who  obtained  from  his 
brother,  Father  Bernard,  the  spiritual  charge  of  the  southern 
part  of  the  civil  parish  of  Ardclinis,  which  has  ever  since 
been  separated  from  the  parish  of  Cushendall.  Father 
Mulhollan  died  in  1784,  and  was  succeeded  by  Father 
Teggart. 

The  Rev.  William  Teggart  was  born  in  the  year  1756,  in 
Gore's  Island,   parish   of  Saul ;    was   ordained  at    the   first 


588  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

ordination  held  by  Dr.  Hugh  MacMullan  ;  was  appointed  to 
the  curacy  of  Lisburn,  from  which  he  was  appointed  Parish 
Priest  of  Glenarm  in  1784.  Father  Teggart  was  appointed 
to  the  Parish  of  Saintfield  in  1790.  The  parish  of  Glenarm 
was  administered  for  some  months  by  the  He  v.  Cormac 
O'Hagan,  who  was  appointed  to  Lower  Mourne,  and  Glenarm 
was  conferred  on  Kev,  Hugh  M'Greevey. 

Father  M'Greevey,  or  Megreevey,  was  born  inTeconnaught, 
parish  of  Kilmore,  in  the  year  1756  ;  he  studied  in  the  Irish 
College  of  Paris.  Father  M'Greevey  died  of  apoplexy,  and 
his  remains  were  interred  in  the  ancient  cemetery  of  Lough- 
inisland.     On  his  gravestone  is  inscribed  : — 

Erected  to  the  memory  of 

The  Rev.  Hugh  Megreevey, 

Parish  Priest  of  Glenarm, 

Who  departed  this  life, 

November  24th,  1798, 

Aged  42  years. 

Justi  autem  in  perpetuum, 

Vivent  et  apud  Dominum, 

Est  merces  eor2im.     Sap,  Cag.  cap.  5,  v.  16. 

Father  George  Morris  succeeded  Father  M'Greevey.  He 
was  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Duneane ;  was  ordained  in 
Ernagh  by  Dr.  Hugh  MacMullan,  when  seven  other  priests 
were  ordained ;  among  other  parishes  he  officiated  in 
Gienravel,  from  which  he  was  promoted  to  Glenarm  in  1774; 
he  died  in  January,  1805. 

Father  James  M'Mullan  was  appointed  to  the  vacant  parish 
on  the  28th  of  Januai-y,  1805.  He  was  born  about  1774,  in 
Ballylough,  paiish  of  Kilmegan  ;  studied  under  the  Rev. 
Patrick  MacMullan,  then  Parish   Priest  of  Kilmegan,  and 


THE  PAHISH  OF  GLENARM.  589 

afterwards  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor  ;  was  ordained  by 
that  prelate,  and  sent  to  study  in  Salamanca  under  Dr. 
Curtis.  Dr.  M'Mullan's  letter  with  him  is  dated  Kilmegan, 
6th  of  May,  1 797.  It  is  not  stated  in  what  parishes  he 
officiated  after  his  return  from  Salamanca,  previous  to  his 
appointuient  to  Glenarm.  He  erected  a  small  chapel  at 
Carnlough,  and  another  at  Feystown.  He  was  appointed 
Parish  Priest  of  Glenavy  in  1819,  and  was  succeeded  in 
Glenarm  by  Father  O'Hagan. 

The  Rev.  Michael  O'Hagan  was  born  in  Fofanny-ban, 
parish  of  Kilcoo,  in  Octobei",  1791  ;  entered  the  class  of 
Humanity  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  April,  7th,  1810; 
was  ordained  by  Dr.  Patrick  MacMullan.  The  Bishop's 
Memorandum  of  the  Ordination  is  : — "At  Pentecost,  1815, 
Messrs.  Michael  O'Hagan,  and  William  Killin  of  Down,  and 
Michael  Scullion  of  Derry,  ordained  for  the  diocese  of 
Connor."  Father  O'Hagan  was  appointed  to  the  curacy  of 
Downpatrick,  from  which  he  was  promoted  to  the  parish  of 
Glenarm.  He  resigned  the  parish  in  1821,  in  order  to 
become  assistant  to  his  uncle,  Father  Cormac  O'Hagan,  P.P. 
Kilcoo,  whom  he  afterwards  succeeded  in  that  parish. 

The  parish  was  then  conferred  on  Father  Patrick  O'Neill, 
who  was  then  curate  of  Drummaul  (for  an  account  of  him 
see  p.  560.)  He  removed  to  Aghoghill,  in  1825,  as  Curate 
and  Administrator,  during  the  sickness  of  Father  M'Nally. 

The  Rev.  John  O'Neill  was  appointed  in  the  early  part  of 
1825.  He  was  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Upper  Mourne ; 
was  ordained  by  Dr.  MacMullan.  The  Bishop's  Memo- 
randum of  the  Ordination  is: — "In  1812,  Messrs.  Arthur 
M'Glue,  James  M'Aleenan,  John  O'Neill,  and  James  Hanna 
of  Down,  and  Bernard  Madden  of  Connor."  We  have  no 
record    of   his    appointments     until    he    was    appointed    to 


590  DIOCESE   OF   CONNOR. 

Glenarm  ;  he  erected  the  Church  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
Feystown.  In  1831  he  was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of 
Kilmegan.  The  parish  of  Glenarm  was  attended  by  the 
Rev.  George  Dempsey,  afterwards  Parish  Priest  of  Hamoan, 
and  by  the  Rev.  John  Mallon.  It  is  not  certain  whether 
the  latter  was  appointed  Parish  Priest.  He  entered,  on  the 
19th  of  October,  1825,  the  Class  of  Logic  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  being  then  21  years  of  age ;  was  ordained  by  Dr. 
Crolly,  and  appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Kilmegan,  from 
which  he  was  appointed  to  Glenarm.  He  left  the  parish  in 
1834. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Young  was  appointed  in  July,  1834. 
Father  Young  was  born,  in  the  year  1802,  in  Killead  j  entered 
the  Rhetoric  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  August  25th, 
1826  ;  was  ordained  by  Pr.  Crolly,  in  Belfast,  in  1830  ;  was 
appointed  curate  of  Larne,  from  which  he  was  appointed 
Parish  Priest  of  Glenarm,  in  July,  1834.  Father  Young 
accepted  the  parish  of  Aghagallon,  November  3rd,  1840, 
and  was  succeeded  in  Glenarm  by  Father  M'Court. 

The  Rev.  John  M'Court  was  born  in  Killyfast,  parish  of 
Duneane  ;  studied  classics  at  Mr.  Nelson's  Academy,  Down- 
patrick  ;  entered  the  Class  of  Humanity  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  September  30th,  1830;  was  ordained  in  Belfast, 
by  Dr.  Crolly,  July  30th,  1833  ;  was  shortly  afterwards 
appointed  to  the  curacy  of  Drummaul,  from  which  he  was 
sent  to  the  curacy  of  Rasharkin,  in  December,  1835  ;  thence 
to  the  curacy  of  Lisburn,  November  28th,  1839  ;  was 
appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Glenarm,  November  3rd,  1840. 
He  erected  the  present  church  of  Carnlough  on  the  site  of 
the  old  chapel.  Father  M'Com-t  was  appointed  Parish 
Priest  of  Ahoghill  in  July,  1847,  and  was  succeeded  in 
Glenarm  by  Father  Cosslett, 


THE  PARISH  OF  GLENARM.  591 

The  Kev.  Anthony  Cosslett  was  born  in  Nutgrove,  parish 
of  Lougliinisland ;  studied  in  the  College  of  Carlo w  ;  was 
ordained  by  Dr.  Crolly,  in  Belfast,  in  1832  ;  was  appointed 
one  of  the  curates  of  Belfast ;  was  appointed  Parish  Priest 
of  Holy  wood  and  Ballymacarrett  in  January,  1835.  He 
resigned  the  parish  in  1842,  and  became  afterwards  curate, 
under  Father  John  Lynch,  in  Ahoghill.  Father  Cosslett 
was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Glenarm,  in  July,  1847, 
He  resigned  the  parish  in  March,  1852,  and  accepted  a 
curacy  in  Ballymena,  under  Father  Lynch. 

The  Rev.  Patrick  Stark ey,  P.P.  Cushendun,  was  appointed 
Parish  Priest  of  Glenarm  (for  an  account  of  him  see  p.  562) 
Father  Starkey  was  appointed  to  Cushendall  on  the  23rd  of 
July,  1869. 

When  the  parish  became  vacant,  the  district  attached  to 
the  church  of  Carnlough  was  severed  from  the  parish,  and 
the  remainder,  forming  the  present  j^arish  of  Glenarm,  was 
conferred  on  Father  Delahunty. 

The  E,ev.  Joseph  Delahunty  was  born  in  the  Queen's 
County  and  diocese  of  Ossory;  studied  in  St.  Kyran's  College, 
Kilkenny  ;  affiliated  to  the  diocese  of  Down  and  Connor ; 
entered  1st  year's  Theology  in  the  College  of  Maynooth, 
January  16th,  1852;  was  ordained,  November  18th,  1854, 
by  Dr.  Phelan,  Bishop  of  Bombay  ;  was  appointed  curate  of 
Upi)er  Mourne,  December  19th,  1854  ;  appointed  curate  of 
Rasharkin  in  October,  1856;  curate  of  Ballymena,  June, 
1859;  curate  of  Glenarm,  April,  1869,  and  on  the  transfer 
of  Father  Starkey  he  was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Glenarm. 
Father  Delahunty  learranged  the  church  of  Feystown,  and 
erected  the  beautiful  church  of  Glenarm.  He  died,  May 
25th,  1883,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the  new 
Church    of    Glenarm,    outside    the    chancel    rail,    on   the 


592  DIOCESE    OF    CONNOR. 

Gospel  side.       A    monumental    tablet  bears  the   following 
inscription  : — 

Of 

your  charity 

Pray  for 

the  repose  of  the  soul  of 

Rev.  Joseph  Delahunty, 

P.P.  Glenarm  ; 

who  died  on  the  25th  May,  1883, 

Aged  55  years. 

Requiescat  in  Pace, 

Father  Hassett  succeeded  Father  Delahunty, 

The  Rev.  Edmund  Hassett  was  born  on  the  15th  of 
February,  1845,  in  the  parish  of  Kilclooney,  parish  of  Clonea, 
Co.  Waterford  ;  studied  in  the  Seminary  of  Mount  Mellery  ; 
entered  the  class  of  Humanity  in  St,  John's  College, 
Waterford,  on  the  3rd  of  September,  1864  ;  affiliated  to  the 
diocese  of  Down  and  Connor ;  was  ordained  by  Dr,  Dorriau 
in  St,  Malachy's  Church,  Belfast,  December  21st,  1870 ; 
appointed  curate  of  Glenarm,  March  23rd,  1871  ;  curate  of 
Ballymena;,  July  1st,  1873  ;  curate  of  St,  Malachy's  Church, 
Belfast,  August  1st,  1876,  from  which  he  was  appointed 
Parish  Priest  of  Glenarm,  August  1st,  1883, 


APPENDIX. 


The  following  antiquarian  memoirs,  written  by  the 
officers  of  the  Ordnance  Survey,  were  obtained  from  the 
office  of  the  Ordnance  Survey,  after  the  notices  of  the  parishes 
to  wliich  they  refer  were  printed.  They  are  given  here, 
because  they  contain  valuable  information  that  could  not  now 
be  obtained  by  local  inquiry.  They  are  re-arranged,  and,  in 
some  cases  shortened,  but  nothing  of  the  slightest  importance 
is  omitted  : — 

Parish  of  Blaris,  by  Thomas  Fai/an,  1837. — At  the  south  rere  of 
Chapel  Hill,  Lisburn,  and  in  the  holding  of  John  Singleton,  stood  the 
ruins  of  a  fort,  locally  named  Fairy  Mount.  The  moat  and  parapet 
are  levelled  ;  the  area  of  the  fort,  IG  yards  in  diameter,  and  8  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  field,  is  laid  out  in  an  ornamental  manner.  In 
1833,  human  bones  were  found  in  the  south  side  of  the  fort.  This  is 
said  by  the  people  to  be  Ldsnagarvey,  which  formerly  gave  name  to 
the  town. 

In  the  farm  of  John  Robinson,  in  Lissue,  are  the  ruins  of  a  circular 
fort  of  clay  ;  the  fort  is  under  grazing,  the  moat  filled.  The  parapet 
at  present  is  at  most  only  5  feet  high,  but  does  not  rise  above  the  area 
of  the  fort. 

In  the  farm  of  Henry  O'Feary,  in  Knockmore,  was  a  clay  fort, 
which  was  demolished  in  1820,  when  several  oblong  oak  planks,  well 
dressed  by  an  edged  tool,  were  found  five  feet  under  the  surface  of 
the  fort.  In  Miss  Fletcher's  farm,  in  Lurganure,  was  a  clay  fort, 
which  has  been  destroyed.  In  Joshua  Lamb's  farm,  in  the  same 
townland,  was  a  similar  fort,  which  has  also  been  destroyed.  In 
Broughmore,  there  was  an  earthen  fort  in  each  ot  the  farms  of  John 
Richy  and  Arthur  Tinsley,  but  both  these  forts  have  been  destroyed. 

Parish  of  MagJieragaU. — In  the  farm  of  John  Anderson,  in  Drum- 
sill,  are  the  remains  of  a  fort,  40  vards  in  diameter,  parapet  of  clay, 

2  K 


11,  APPENDIX. 

moat  levelled.  In  Samuel  Johnston's  farm,  in  Drumsill,  are  the 
remains  of  a  fort,  30  yards  in  diameter,  parapet  of  clay  and  stones, 
17  feet  thick,  6  feet  high,  moat  11  feet  wide — now  destrojed.  In 
the  farm  of  John  Wardle,  in  Moyrusk,  was  a  fort,  now  destroyed.  In 
the  farm  of  John  Pattison,  was  a  fort,  which  is  now  destroyed. 

In  the  farm  of  John  Larmor,  in  Mullaghcarton,  was  an  earthen  fort. 
40  yards  in  diameter  ;  it  is  destroyed,  and  the  site  occupied  by  a 
mill.  Tliete  was  another  earthen  fort  near  it,  which  is  also 
destroyed.  In  Richard  Fullerton's  farm,  in  this  townland,  there  was 
a  similar  fort,  which  is  now  destroyed. 

In  the  farm  of  Captain  Houghton,  in  Maghergall,  are  the  ruins  of 
an  earthen  fort  ;  the  part  of  the  parapet  remaining  is  4  feet  high,  and 
from  4  to  8  feet  wide,  made  of  clay  and  stones.  What  remains  of 
the  moat  is  10  feet  wide.  In  the  same  townland  there  was  an  earthen 
fort,  in  the  farm  of  James  Higgins,  but  it  has  been  destroyed. 

In  Moneybroom  are  the  ruins  of  a  clay  fort,  50  yards  in  diameter, 
it  averages  7  feet  high  above  the  bottom  of  the  moat,  which  is  from 
10  to  15  feet  wide,  the  entrance  is  at  the  south  side,  and  in  the  edge 
of  the  parapet,  10  yards  east  of  the  entrance,  was  found,  in  1835,  an 
ornamental  funereal  urn,  which  was  neatly  protected  by  stones,  and 
sunk  about  34  feet  beneath  the  surface.  About  7  yards  west  of  this 
fort  there  were  two  forts,  apparently  intended  as  outposts  for  it. 
Each  of  them  was  7  yards  in  diameter  ;  they  are  now  destroyed.  The 
site  of  these  forts  is  in  the  farm  of  James  Maherg.  There  was  a  fort, 
now  destroyed,  in  the  farm  of  John  Teggart,  in  Moneybroom.  In 
this  townland,  in  the  farm  of  Edward  Davies,  are  the  remains  of  a 
fort,  40  yards  in  diameter  ;  the  parapet,  at  present,  is  5  feet  high, 
and  6  feet  broad  ;  the  moat  is  levelled. 

In  the  farm  of  Bernard  M 'Garry,  in  Knocknadona,  was  a  fort,  in 
the  destruction  of  which,  in  1835,  was  found  a  circular  pit  covered  by 
three  flat  stones,  but  nothing  of  interest  was  found  in  it.  In  the 
farm  of  John  Connor,  in  Knocknadona,  are  the  ruins  of  a  fort  50 
yards  in  diameter,  parapet  much  destroyed.  What  remains  of  it  is 
from  4  to  6  feet  high,  and  in  some  parts  10  feet  thick,  the  moat  is 
from  10  to  19  feet  wide.  In  the  farm  of  Robert  Ferguson,  in  Knock- 
nadona, is  a  standing  stone,  3  feet  high,  2^  feet  broad,  and  14  feet 
thick.  It  stands  in  a  sloping  position.  Another  similar  standing 
stone,  which  stood  6  feet  from  this  one,  was  taken  away  15  years  ago. 

In  Miss  Watson's  farm,  in  Ballyellough,  are  the  ruins  of  a  church. 
Of  the  north  sidewall  there  remains  17  feet  long  and  8  feet  high, 
thickness  3  feet ;  it  was  built  of  rough  stones,  grouted ;  the  remainder 


APPENDIX.  Ul. 

of  the  walls  have  been  remodelled  and  turned  into  a  barn  or 
stable.  From  the  remains  it  appears  that  the  church  was  50  feet 
long  and  134  f^^*  wide  in  the  interior.  It  was  roofed  with  oak  and 
floored  with  clay  ;  it  had  two  entrance  doors  also  of  oak.  Attached  to 
the  east  end  was  a  round  tower,  about  40  feet  high  and  7  feet  in 
diameter,  hollow  to  the  top.  The  walls  were  built  of  dressed  stones, 
grouted,  and  4  feet  thick.  About  1775,  it  was  taken  down  to  about 
7  feet  above  the  ground,  and  the  stones  used  in  erecting  Springfield 
House.  It  was  entirely  removed  in  1816.  There  was  a  graveyard 
around  the  church,  which  stood  on  an  eminence,  and  was  about  the 
centre  of  the  parish.  In  the  farm  of  Moses  Watson,  and  about  100 
yards  west  of  the  ancient  church,  three  Standing  Stones,  from  3^  to 
65  feet  high,  and  of  great  thickness,  stood  in  a  fort,  which  is  now 
destroyed.  They  were  sunk,  in  1806,  beneath  the  soil,  and  nothing 
was  found  near  them.  In  the  farm  of  James  Watson,  in  Bally ellough, 
is  a  "  Giant's  Grave,"  composed  of  4  large  stones,  lying  prostrate, 
and  occupying  a  .space  of  10^  feet  by  7i  feet,  and  rising  above  the 
surface  about  3h  feet.  In  labouring  near  this  there  were  discovered, 
li  feet  beneath  the  surface,  in  circular  stone  buildings,  5  earthen 
urns,  containing  calcined  bones  and  ashes  ;  the  urns  rested  on  flag- 
stones and  were  covered  by  flagstones,  they  were  broken  in  raising 
them,  but  what  remained  of  them  was  sent  to  Belfast  Museum  In 
Brookhill  demesne  is  an  oval-shaped  fort,  60  by  45  feet  on  the  top, 
summit  30  feet  above  the  moat  that  encircles  it.  The  original  width 
of  the  moat  seems  to  have  been  20  feet ;  it  is  at  present  greatly 
disfigured,  as  is  also  a  clay  parapet,  standing  outside  it.  The  fort  is 
chiefly  of  clay  ;  it  measures  150  yards  round  the  base.  Twenty  feet 
east  of  the  fort  are  the  ruins  of  a  triangular  fort,  measuring  50  feet 
long  on  each  of  its  sides.  It  is  made  of  clay,  is  14  feet,  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  moat  and  parapet,  now  nearly  levelled.  In  this 
demesne  is  a  fort  somewhat  oval,  40  by  35  yards  in  diameter ;  parapet, 
made  of  clay  and  stones,  is  from  4  to  14  feet  high,  and  18  feet  thick  ; 
a  modern  fence  has  been  made  round  the  fort,  and  the  old  moat 
destroyed.  At  a  short  distance  from  the  last-mentioned  fort  is  a 
circular  fort,  30  yards  in  diameter,  enclosed  by  a  parapet  composed 
of  clay  and  stones,  from  4  to  7  feet  high,  but  the  moat  has  been 
levelled.  In  the  same  demesne  are  the  ruins  of  a  circular  fort,  36 
yards  in  diameter,  its  parapet,  composed  of  clay  and  stones,  is  now 
nearly  destroyed,  what  remains  of  it  is  from  6  to  10  feet  high  and  15 
feet  thick  ;  the  moat  has  been  destroyed.  There  was  in  the  demesne 
another  clay  fort,  but  it  has  been  destroyed.     On  the  whole  there  have 


IV.  APPENDIX. 

been  in  Brookhill  demesne  6  forts.  In  Brookhill,  it  is  said,  there 
was  a  castle  occupied  by  Sir  John  Rawdon  ;  the  site  was  opposite 
Mr.  Watson's  house,  there  are  several  yards  of  the  garden  wall  which 
had  been  a  portion  of  the  wall  surrounding  the  castle,  it  is  built  of 
stone  and  lime,  is  7-^  feet  high  and  2^  feet  thick  ;  there  have  been 
human  bones,  urns  filled  with  bones,  and  subterraneous  vaults 
discovered  near  the  site  of  the  old  castle.  A  battle  was  fought,  in 
1641,  at  Brookhill,  and  the  present  proprietor  when  removing  old 
walls  discovered  a  large  quantity  of  human  bones. 

In  the  farm  of  Joseph  Kelso,  in  Kilcorrig,  are  the  ruins  of  a  fort, 
30  yards  in  diameter,  enclosed  by  two  moats  and  a  parapet  ;  area, 
of  the  fort  stands  4  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  moat.  The  inside 
moat  varies  from  10  to  15  feet  wide,  the  outside  moat  from  6  to  10 
feet.  The  parapet,  now  nearly  destroyed,  was  of  clay  and  stones; 
the  existing  part  of  it  is  from  4  to  10  feet  high,  and  20  feet  thick  at 
the  base.  There  was  another  fort  in  the  farm  of  Widov/  Collins,  in 
Kilcorrig,  but  it  has  been  destroyed. 

In  the  farm  of  William  Burrows,  in  Ballycarrickmaddy,  are  the 
ruins  of  a  circular  fort,  30  yards  in  diameter  ;  the  part  of  the  parapet 
remaining  is  5  feet  high  and  20  feet  wide  ;  the  remaining  part  of  the 
moat  is  6  feet  wide  ;  the  area  is  under  cultivation.  In  George 
Dawson's  farm,  in  Ballycarrickmaddy,  was  a  fort,  now  destroyed. 
In  Richard  Dawson's  farm,  in  Ballycarrickmaddy,  were  two  earthen 
forts  ;  they  also  were  destroyed.  During  their  destruction  5  hearths 
and  a  quantity  of  forge  dross  were  discovered.  In  the  farm  of 
Thomas  Belshaw,  in  this  townland,  are  the  ruins  of  a  fort,  60  yards  in 
diameter  ;  parapet  of  clay  and  stones,  15  feet  thick  at  the  base,  and 
from  5  to  10  feet  high.  There  was  also  a  second  parapet  round  the 
fort,  it  was  15  feet  thick,  but  it  is  now  destroyed.  In  John  Larmer's 
farm,  in  Carrickmaddy,  are  the  rums  of  a  fort,  35  yards  in  diameter, 
parapet  from  4  to  9  feet  high,  and  from  5  to  10  feet  thick  ;  the  moat 
is  nearly  destroyed.  In  demolishing  this  fort,  in  1800,  a  stone 
hammer  was  found,  the  hammer  was  6  inches  long  and  the  handle, 
which  was  attached  to  the  middle  of  the  hammer,  was  5  inches  long, 
and  all  was  formed  from  one  stone.  In  George  Wi'ight's  farm,  in 
Carrickmaddy,  are  the  ruins  of  a  fort,  nearly  square,  42  by  40  yards, 
which  has  been  disfigured  by  the  public  road,  which  runs  through  it ; 
the  parapet,  of  clay  and  stones,  is  18  feet  wide  and  from  3  to  8  feet 
high,  and  the  moat  is  13  feet  wide.  In  Hugh  Weir's  farm,  in 
Carrickmaddy,  was  a  fort,  and  a  second  one  seems  to  have  been 
commenced  but  not  finished  ;  both  are  now  destroyed. 


APPENDIX.  V. 

In  the  farm  of  Joseph  Hide,  in  Ballymave,  are  the  ruins  of  a  fort, 
40  yards  in  diameter,  and  enclosed  by  two  moats,  each  13  feet  wide  ; 
the  terrace  between  the  moats  is  40  feet  wide. 

In  the  farm  of  Valentine  Fullerton,  in  Magheraliskmisk,  are  the 
ruins  of  a  fort,  35  yards  in  diameter,  enclosed  by  a  moat  and  two 
parapets  ;  inside  parapet  is  17  feet  thick  at  the  base,  and  6  feet  high  ; 
outside  parapet  is  15  thick  at  the  base,  and  3  feet  high  ;  the  moat  is 
15  feet  wide.  At  the  distance  of  7  yards  south  of  this  fort  are  the 
remains  of  an  oblong  fort,  35  by  25  feet,  and  enclosed  by  a  moat  and 
parapet.  The  moat  is  11  feet  wide,  and  the  parapet,  now  nearly 
destroyed,  is  2  feet  high  and  9  feet  thick.  On  the  east  side  of  the 
large  fort,  and  at  the  distance  of  15  yards,  formerly  stood  a  small 
fort,  now  destroyed.  These  smaller  forts  seem  to  have  been  outworks 
for  the  central  fort.  In  this  farm  there  was  formerly  another  fort, 
now  destroyed.  There  was  a  fort  in  the  farm  of  William  Clarke,  in 
thistownland,  but  it  is  completely  disfigured.  A  fort,  now  destroyed, 
was  in  each  of  the  farms  of  Richard  M'Quillin  and  Alexander  Hall, 
in  Magheraliskmisk.  In  1834,  Joseph  Maharry  found  in  a  limestone 
quarry,  in  that  townland,  two  earthen  urns,  human  bones  and  ashes, 
the  large  urn  was  mouth  downwards  on  the  limestone.  The  small 
urn  was  highly  ornamented.  In  Nathaniel  Hall's  farm,  in  Ballyna- 
largy,  are  ruins  of  a  fort,  35  yards  in  diameter  ;  parapet  of  clay,  5 
feet  high  and  6  feet  thick  ;  the  moat  is  filled  up.  Two  other  forts 
were  in  this  townland,  in  Eichard  M'Quillen's  farm,  but  they  have 
been  destroyed. 

Parish  of  Magheramesk,  by  Thos.  Fagaii,  1837.- — In  the  farm  of 
John  Spence,  in  Maghaberry,  is  an  oval,  fort,  40  by  35  yards  ;  the 
parapet  varies  in  height,  above  the  bottom  of  the  moat,  from  9  to  14 
feet,  and  from  4  to  6  feet  above  the  area  of  the  fort,  and  is  from  20 
to  30  feet  broad  at  the  base.  In  this  farm  is  an  ancient  burial 
ground,  now  occupied  by  a  limestone  quarry.  In  demolishing  the 
burial  ground  all  sorts  of  liuman  bones  were  found.  It  was  remarked 
that  the  skulls  were  longer  than  those  found  in  modern  graveyards. 
There  was  also  found  an  ornamented  urn  filled  with  bones  and  ashes. 
In  the  farm  of  Thomas  Hammond,  in  Maghaberry,  was  a  fort,  which 
is  now  destroyed,  and  the  site  under  tillage.  In  the  farm  of  John 
and  William  Crossby,  in  Magheramesk,  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  ancient  graveyard  (Maghaberry),  is  an  ancient  well,  which  used 
to  be  visited  for  cures  by  persons  from  great  distances.  At  the  well 
was  a  large  stone,  on  the  surface  of  which  was  impressed  the  form  of 
a  human  foot,  said  to  be  the  mark  of  St.   Patrick's  foot.     It  may. 


VI.  APPENDIX. 

however,  have  been  a  stone  afc  which  the  local  chieftains  were 
inaugurated.  The  stone  was  removed  by  Henry  M'Conkey,  and 
used  in  some  building.  On  an  eminence,  in  the  farm  of  Anthony 
Hall,  in  Magheramesk,  was  an  ancient  cemetery,  the  site  of  which  is 
now  occupied  by  a  farmhouse  and  yards  ;  human  remains  and 
unlettered  headstones  are  turned  up  on  the  site,  andaportionof  astrong 
wall  of  bricks  and  stones  was  discovered  at  some  depth  beneath  the 
surface.  In  the  "  Grey  Stone  Farm,"  in  Magheramesk,  and  close  to 
the  canal,  stood  the  "  Grey  Stone,"  about  7  feet  high  and  above  20 
feet  in  circumference.  Though  it  was  supposed  to  be  specially  sacred 
to  the  fairies,  it  was  blasted  with  powder,  and  used  in  the  construction 
of  the  Lady's  Bridge,  about  the  year  1791.  A  fort  stood  in  a  bleach- 
green,  and  another  in  the  farm  of  Thomas  Reyford,  both  were  in 
Magheramesk,  and  both  are  now  destroiJ^ed.  In  Edward  Hall's  farm, 
in  Magheramesk,  is  an  oval  fort,  45  by  40  yards,  and  5  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  field  ;  its  moat  and  parapet  are  now  levelled. 
There  is  said  to  be  a  cave  under  it.  An  ornamented  funereal  urn, 
stone  arrow  heads,  and  small  pipes,  have  been  found  at  the  rath. 

In  the  farm  of  William  Clarke,  in  Ballynalargy,  formerly  was  a 
fort,  which  was  destroyed.  In  the  year  1827,  Alexander  Tolerton 
found  in  his  farm,  in  Ballynalargy,  an  ornamented  urn ;  it  was 
protected  by  stones  placed  around  it,  and  a  flat  stone  resting  on 
them.  In  John  Watson's  farm,  in  Ballynalargy,  was  a  fort,  the  site 
of  which  is  now  under  tillage. 

Jacob  Green  in  demolishing  a  fort  on  his  farm,  in  Crenagh,  found 
a  quern,  he  found,  in  other  parts  of  liis  farm,  querns  and  stone  axes. 
In  llobert  Watson's  farm,  in  Crenagh,  was  a  piece  of  ground, 
supposed  to  have  been  a  burial  place  ;  while  digging  it,  in  1834,  he 
found  an  ornamented  urn  and  several  parts  of  others  ;  he  found  a 
similar  urn  in  another  part  of  his  farm.  In  the  farm  of  John 
Smyth  (?),  was  an  ancient  cemetery,  locally  named,  "  Carnlougherin 
Burial  Ground,"  the  site  is  under  tillage,  and  is  only  marked  by  an 
old  thorn;  in  "reclaiming"  it,  black  earth  and  small  bones  were 
found  in  it,  James  Campbell,  and  Henry  Crangle  in  sinking  a  large 
stone  in  the  farm  of  John  Bennett,  in  Carnlougherin,  found  at  some 
depth  beneath  its  surface,  three  gold  gorgets,  they  were  rolled 
together,  and  each  was  about  as  thick  as  a  common  piece  of  tin. 
They  were  beautifully  ornamented,  near  the  edge,  with  various 
devices.  They  seem  to  have  been  of  the  same  size  and  shape  as  the 
one  found  in  Co.  Derry,  a  draft  of  which  was  given  by  Mr.  Ligar  iu 
the  Memoh'  of  Desertmartin.     Bennett  claimed  the  prize,  but  agreed 


APPENDIX.  Vll. 

to  give  to  the  labourers  a  share  in  the  price.  He  sold  the  gorgets  in 
Belfast,  and  gave  to  Campbell,  2!)  guineas,  but  he  gave  nothing  to 
Crangle.  In  Richard  Bell's  farm,  in  Lisnabella,  are  the  ruins  of  two 
forts,  each  40  yards  in  diameter,  and  each  was  enclosed  by  a  moat 
and  parapet,  all  of  which  are  now  nearly  destroyed,  the  moat  was  15 
feet  wide  ;  they  were  separated  from  each  other  only  by  their 
moats  and  their  ramparts,  though  the  ramparts  are  destroyed,  the 
areas  of  the  forts  are  much  higher  than  the  field  in  which  they  are 
situated. 

(Thomas  Fagan's  description  of  the  Church  and  Round  Tower  of 
Trummery  is  omitted  ;  the  following  is  his  description  of  the  mound, 
which  has  since  been  removed) — About  75  yards  north  of  the  grave- 
yard is  a  fort  approaching  to  circular  shape,  24  yards  in  diameter  on 
the  top,  which  is  concave  shaped.  It  is  composed  chiefly  of  earth, 
and  varies  from  15  to  24  feet  of  a  sloping  height,  above  the  level  of 
the  iield.  It  was  enclosed  by  a  moat  and  parapet,  which  were 
levelled  about  the  year  1823.  The  fort  was  injured  by  Brent 
Spencer,  Esq.,  Trummery  House,  and  it  is  said  several  misfortunes 
occurred  to  him  in  consequence.  A  bronze  spear,  found  in  this 
townland,  in  1829,  was  given  to  Mr.  Walsh,  of  Dromnre  ;  and  a 
bronze  axe,  found  in  1836,  in  the  farm  of  John  Hall,  also  in  Trum- 
mery, was  given  to  John  Eogan. 

There  is  a  standing  stone,  called  the  G-rey  Stone,  in  the  farm  of 
Thomas  Green,  in  Derryrisk.  Its  sides  form  four  irregular  quadri- 
laterials,  3  feet  3  inches  high,  and  of  the  same  breadth,  and  thick- 
ness. It  stands  north  of  the  road  from  Lisburn  to  Moira,  and  near 
the  ruins  of  a  fort. 

In  the  farm  of  John  Bennett,  in  Gortnacor,  stood  a  very  beautiful 
fort,  which  is  now  nearly  destroyed,  and  the  site  under  tillage. 

In  the  farm  of  Robert  M'Cord,  in  Inisloughlin,  was  a  fort,  which  is 
now  destroyed  and  under  tillage.  In  the  farm  of  Thomas  Dobbin, 
in  Inisloughlin,  was  a  fort  which  he  demolished,  and  he  found  in  it 
flint  arrow  heads,  he  also  found  smoking  pipes.  In  the  farm  of 
James  Cabson,  is  a  well  named,  Tohar  Downey,  which  was  formerly 
visited  by  great  crowds,  but  the  practice  is  now  relinquished. 

The  site  of  the  fortress  of  Inisloughlin,  is  in  the  farm  of  James 
M'Areavy.  It  occupied  an  eminence,  contiguous  to  the  river  Lagan. 
It  was  a  square  of  40  yards  on  each  side  ;  at  each  corner  was  a 
bastion  of  earth  and  stones,  the  best  preserved  of  which  is  the 
south-east  bastion,  the  ruins  of  which  measure  21  by  28  feet  on  the 
top,    and    in    some  parts  they  are  7   feet  high.     On  each  bastion, 


fiourishes  a  large  thorn  tree.  The  fort  was  protected  by  a  moat,  now 
filled  up,  and  a  parapet,  which  is  now  nearly  destroyed,  except  parts 
on  the  north-east  and  south-east  squares,  which  average  40  yards 
long,  54  feet  high,  and  6  feet  thick.  The  fort  was  nearly  surrounded 
by  bog  on  all  sides,  except  the  south,  on  which  it  was  distant  a  little 
from  the  Lagan.  About  200  yards  north-east  of  the  fort,  was  a 
circular  fort,  said  to  have  been  very  strong,  it  was  almost 
inaccessible,  being  situated  in  the  bog,  but  it  is  now  destroyed.  On  the 
south  and  west  sides  stood  small  circular  forts,  that  are  now  also 
destroyed.  Nearly  about  the  centre  of  the  area  of  the  fort,  stands  a 
large  stone,  about  6  feet  in  length,  and  6  yards  in  circumference,  it 
was  formerly  nearly  all  buried  under  the  surface.  Stone  arrow 
heads  found  in  the  fort  testify  that  it  was  used  in  very  early  times. 
Great  quantities  of  human  bones,  round  metal  balls,  from  8  to  28 
ounces,  and  some  of  them  indicating  that  they  were  fastened  together, 
were  found  in  the  fort.  George  Crookes,  of  Inisloughlin,  has  a  large 
number  of  such  things. 

The  Civil  Parish  of  A g hake. — In  the  farm  of  Thomas  Falloon,  in 
Ballynaghten,  was  a  fort  of  large  size,  which  was  destroyed  about 
1820.  About  140  yards  south  of  the  entrance  of  the  fort  was  a 
paved  causeway,  now  destroyed,  and  about  25  yards  east  of  the  fort 
was  a  circular  enclosure,  about  21  feet  in  diameter,  the  parapet  of 
which  was  of  stones,  it  was  also  destroyed,  and  in  it  was  found  a 
quantity  of  wood  cinders.  In  the  farm  of  John  Hall,  in  Ballynaghten, 
was  another  fort,  now  destroyed.  It  is  said  that  Henry  Mallon,  in 
removing  an  old  ditch,  in  this  townland,  found  a  pot  containing  a 
large  quantity  of  gold  and  silver  coins.  Broomount  House  is  said  to 
have  been  built,  about  1695,  by  Dr,  Walkington,  fProtestant)  Bishop 
of  Down  and  Connor,  and  subsequently  improved  by  Dean  Welsh, 
whose  widow,  about  80  years  of  age,  is  said  to  have  sold  it  to  the 
Gorman  family.  The  ruins  of  the  ancient  church  of  Aghalee  stand 
on  a  beautiful  eminence  on  the  east  side  of  the  village.  Parts  of  the 
western  gable  and  side  walls  are  all  that  remain,  the  interior  is  19^ 
feet  wide,  but  its  length  cannot  be  ascertained  ;  the  original  thickness 
of  the  walls  was  3  feet.  There  was  a  door  in  the  western  gable,  and 
over  it  a  window  which  is  now  concealed  by  ivy.  Windows  and 
doors  have  been  destroyed  by  the  removal  of  every  dressed  stone. 
At  the  head  of  a  grave,  a  few  yards  south  of  the  church,  is  an 
irregular-shaped  stone,  which  has  on  each  side  of  it  a  font,  one  of 
these  is  oval,  12  by  10  inches  and  44  inches  deep,  the  other  is  9 
inches  in  diameter.     The  stone  itself  is  22  by  20  inches,  and  12  inches 


APPENDIX.  IX. 

thick.  About  40  yards  west  of  the  church,  and  on  the  west  side  of 
the  public  road,  is  a  remarkable  wall  which  the  Usher  family  enclosed 
with  a  stone  and  lime  wall  many  years  ago.  It  is  said  that  about  70 
years  ago  a  small  coffer,  containing  a  quantity  of  ancient  gold  coin,  was 
found,  by  one  of  the  Usher  family,  deposited  in  a  recess  made  for  it 
in  one  of  the  walls  of  the  church,  there  were  also  found  several  skulls 
deposited  in  recesses  prepared  for  them  in  the  wall.  Three  ancient 
urns,  rilled  with  black  soil,  were  found  in  the  graveyard.  In  the 
farm  of  John  Long,  in  Aghalee,  stood  at  the  base  of  a  rocky  eminence 
an  ancient  pagan  monument,  which  was  destroyed  about  1822.  It 
consisted  of  a  number  of  large  stones  and  a  pavement  of  stones.  In 
each  of  the  following  farms  was  a  fort,  in  Thomas  Conkey's,  in 
Killough  ;  in  John  M'Kinstry's,  Killough  ;  in  John  Capman's,  in 
Aghadrumglasny ;  in  William  Smith's,  in  Lurgansemanus,  in 
Broomount  demesne  ;  in  Richard  Galley's,  in  Aghalee  ;  in  Stewart 
Falloon's,  in  Aghalee  ;  and  two  in  William  Canning's,  in  Poobles;  all 
of  which  are  at  present  under  tillage.  William  Ferris,  Grocer, 
Aghalee,  has  a  censer  which,  with  several  small  pewter  cups  and  a 
pewter  vessel,  resembling  a  weather-glass,*  was  discovered  at  a 
considerable  depth  in  the  parish  of  Seago,  Co.  Armagh.  A  large 
leather  strap,  with  brass  buckles  affixed  to  it  in  appropriate  places, 
was  attached  to  the  censer.  The  latter  articles  have  been  lost, 
Richard  Thompson  was  the  finder. 

The  Oivil  Parish  of  Aghagallon,  by  Tliomas  Fagan,  1838.— In  the 
farm  of  William  O'Hara,  in  Aghadrumglasny,  was  a  fort,  which  is 
now  destroyed,  and  the  site  under  tillage.  In  the  farm  of  John 
Mooney,  in  Tamnyvane,  was  a  fort,  which  is  now  destroyed.  In 
Deriynaseer,  are  the  remains  of  a  very  large  fort,  which  is  said  to 
have  contained  5  acres,  and  to  have  been  a  mile  in  circumference ;  it 
was  nearly  a  circle.  Though  a  large  portion  of  the  parapet,  which 
wa.s  composed  of  earth  and  stones,  still  remains,  and  averages  four 
feet  in  height,  and  from  four  to  eight  feet  in  breadth,  yet  since  1798 
it  has  sustained  much  dilapidation  and  alteration  of  shape.  It  is  at 
present  under  grazing,  except  what  is  occupied  by  a  pathway,  and 
grounds  of  the  Catholic  Chapel, 

'  It  was  obviously  one  of  the  pewter  chalices  so  common  in  Ireland  during  the 
persecution  ;  the  censer,  with  its  leather  strap  instead  of  chains,  would  apjiear  a 
present  very  strange.  The  parish  of  Aghalee  is  at  present  in  the  diocese  of  Dromore, 
but  it  is  taxed  in  the  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  as  in  the  diocese  of  Down.  Aghalee. 
Achadh  lie—"  Field  of  the  Monument"— takes  its  name  from  the  pagan  monument 
already  mentioned. 


X.  APPENDIX 

The  ancient  church  of  Aghagallon,  situated  ou  an  eminence, 
measures  in  the  1  interior  61  by  234  f^et.  The  walls  are  built  of 
common  stones  of  the  country  grouted  with  a  coarse  mortar,  and 
seem  to  have  been  3  feet  in  thickness.  The  principal  part  of  the 
east  gable,  a  small  portion  of  the  west  gable,  and  of  the  south  side 
wall,  much  disfigured  by  the  removal  of  the  dressed  stones,  are  all 
that  now  remain.  In  the  east  gable  are  the  ruins  of  a  long  but  very 
narrow  window,  now  nearly  closed  up  by  ivy.  At  the  head  of  a 
grave,  on  the  south  side  of  the  church,  is  a  stone,  of  a  rather  rude 
shape,  having  a  hole  cut  in  its  top,  as  if  for  a  cross.  On  it  is  cut  the 
form  of  a  coffin,  and 

1680. 

E.  B.  M.  K.  S. 


This  is  the  oldest  inscription  in  the  graveyard.  At  the  grave  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Dawson  lies  one  half  ot  a  small  font  stone.  It  is  at  present 
much  disfigured,  but  would  seem  to  have  been  circular,  12  inches  in 
diameter,  and  6  inches  thick  ;  the  font  also  was  circular,  4^  inches  in 
diameter,  and  4  inches  in  depth  ;  the  other  half  of  the  font  is  some- 
where in  the  graveyard.  The  Irish  Cry  was  used  at  some  Catholic 
funerals  up  till  1830.  On  the  west  side  of  the  old  church  is  an 
ancient  well,  and  an  old  thorn  tree.  There  was  formerly  here  at  the 
well  a  large  cairn  of  stones,  but  it  was  removed  some  years  ago. 
John  Bullock,  in  demolishing  a  fort  in  Drumaleet,  found  a  complete 
pot-quern — 10  inches  in  diameter,  5  inches  in  height,  including  its 
three  feet,  the  top-stone  is  74  inches  in  diameter.  He  also  found  a 
grinding  stone  of  freestone,  8  inches  in  diameter,  and  34  inches  thick; 
the  irons  for  securing  the  handles  were  found,  but  they  were  in  a  very 
decayed  state.  In  Tiscallen,  there  was  a  fort,  in  the  farm  of  James 
Corry,  and  another  in  the  farm  of  John  Lavery,  but  both  are  now 
destroyed,  and  their  sites  under  tillage.  In  Derryclone,  were  three 
forts,  all  of  which  are  now  destroyed,  and  their  sices  under  tillage. 
Hugh  Lavery,  in  1812,  found  in  Derryclone,  about  12  feet  beneath 
the  surface  of  the  bog,  three  circular  wooden  dishes,  each  of  which 
had  three  feet,  and  the  largest  of  them  was  13  inches  in  diameter.  In 
cutting  turf,  during  the  last  50  years  in  a  tract  of  bog  between 
Derryclone  and  Derrymore,  there  was  discovered,  beneath  the 
surface,  a  line  of  road  composed  of  oak  planks,  about  6  feet  long,  2 
feet  broad,  and  7  inches  thick,  "duffed  on  the  end  of  each  other  in 
succession,  and  fastened  by  alder  spikes  or  pins."  The  pins  were 
much  decayed,  but  the  planks  were  sound,  and  were  used  afterwards 


APPENDIX.  XI. 

for  various  purposes.  The  road  was  found  to  extend  about  a  mile, 
and  some  of  it  was  lifted  in  1836.  In  Montiaghs  there  was  a  fort, 
which  is  now  destroyed,  and  its  site  occupied  by  a  dwelling-house,  on 
the  farm  of  James  Lavery  ;  the  ruins  of  another  fort  are  under  fruit 
trees,  in  the  farm  of  John  Lavery.  Various  articles  of  wood,  bronze, 
and  flint  have  been  frequently  found  in  Moutiat;hs  ;  Anthony  Kearney 
found  at  a  considerable  depth  in  the  bog,  a  paved  road,  6  feet  wide, 
made  of  moderate-sized  stones  ;  it  leads  from  north  to  south,  but  its 
length  has  not  been  explored.  On  the  surface  of  a  tract  of  bog,  that 
intervened  between  Courtney's  Island,  Drumaleet,  and  Maghernagaw 
graveyard,  in  Derrymore,  was  an  old  line  of  road,  called  the  Danes^ 
Causeway.  It  was  about  half  a  mile  long,  and  from  7  to  9  feet  broad. 
The  bog  was  deeply  bedded  with  brambles  and  heath,  and  over  this 
was  spread  sand,  clay,  and  stones.  It  is  locally  said  that  the  sand 
was  carried  in  bags  from  the  shore  of  Lough  Nea^h.  The  townlands 
of  Montiaghs,  Derrymore,  Derryclone,  and  Derrykirk,  are  locally 
named  the  Montiaghs,  and  are  said  to  have  been  occupied  by 
Catholics  driven  into  it  in  the  1641  war  ;  even  up  till  a  recent 
period  they  were  exclusively  occupied  by  Catholics,  and  at  the 
present  time  there  are  not  more  than  12  Protestant  families  resident 
in  the  four  townlands,  and  these  have  settled  in  them  subsequent  to 
to  the  year  1798.  In  Bally macilrany  are  the  remains  of  a  fort,  in  the 
farm  of  John  Latton  ;  and  another  in  that  of  Thomas  Thompson,  and 
of  two  in  that  of  Henry  Shillington— all  these  forts  are  now  under 
tillage.  John  Lavery  in  cutting  turf  in  this  townland,  in  1837, 
found  at  the  depth  of  6  feet,  under  the  surface,  a  paved  hearth,  and 
on  it  wood  cinders,  and  about  a  peck  of  nut  shells.  In  Bally  cairn, 
there  was  an  ancient  cairn,  locally  named,  '' Carn-nall,"  by  which 
name  a  portion  of  the  townland  was  known  ;  it  was  destroyed  many 
years  ago,  and  it  is  not  known  that  any  antiquities  were  found  in  it. 
In  its  vicinity  was  an  ancient  fence,  locally  named  the  "Danes' 
Cast."  This  has  also  been  destroyed.  In  this  townland  were  two 
raths  which  were  demolished  several  years  ago.  Under  their 
surfaces  were  found  wrought  flints,  stone  hatchets,  and  "Danes' 
Pipes."  Some  of  them  were  given  to  John  Eogan,  a  local  antiquary. 
The  ancient  church  of  Maghernagaw  is  situated  along  the  leading 
road  from  Antrim  to  Lurgan,  and  is  almost  entirely  surrounded  by 
bog.  It  measures  50  feet  3  inches  by  20  feet  3  inches  in  the  clear  ; 
the  sidewalls  are  24  feet  thick,  and  the  gables  3  feet ;  a  large  portion 
of  both  gables  and  of  the  north  sidewall  are  still  standing,  but  the 
windows  have  disappeared.  The    graveyard,  which  is  almost  exclusively 


Xll.  APPENDIX. 

used  by  Catholics,  was  enlarged  on  the  east  side  about  1815. 
It  was,  however,  once  much  larger  than  at  the  present ;  for,  about 
52  years  ago,  coffins  and  human  bones  were  found  considerably  outside 
it.  It  is  said  that  it  was  roofed  with  oak  and  covered  with  shingles. 
Within  a  few  yards  of  the  east  end  of  the  church  lies  a  long  ilat  stone 
resembling  a  tombstone.  On  its  surface  are  a  few  irregular  and 
detached  holes,  said  to  be  the  prints  left  by  the  knees  and  elbows  of 
St.  Patrick  when  he  was  praying,  stretched  on  that  stone — called  the 
"  Saint's  Bed."  These  prints  are,  however,  said  to  have  been  left  by 
St.  Colman,  or  Congall,  but  locally  named  St.  Geelin,  At  the 
"  Saint's  Bed  "  lay  for  centuries  two  stones  of  moderate  size,  having 
on  each  of  them  the  prints  of  a  thumb  and  fore-finger.  It  is  said  that 
the  Saint  held  one  of  these  in  each  hand,  and,  while  praying,  struck 
his  breast  alternately  with  them.  It  was  formerly  believed  tliat  if 
either  of  those  stones  was  carried  away  it  would  on  the  following  day 
be  again  at  the  Saint's  Bed.  One  Thomas  Elliot,  of  Moira,  through 
contempt,  carried  to  his  own  house  one  of  the  stones.  Elliot  and 
some  of  his  friends  died  in  a  few  days,  and  some  other  misfortune 
befel  the  family  ;  his  widow  then  sent  back  the  stone.  About  60 
years  ago  Eawden  Studdart,  Esq.,  of  Moira,  cast  one  of  them  into 
Lough  Money,  but  on  the  following  day  it  was  found  on  the  Saint's 
Bed.  It  is  generally  thought  that  the  Saint  who  built  the  church  of 
Maghernagaw  and  that  of  Aghagallon  is  buried  under  this  stone. 
The  Civil  Parish  of  BalUnderry,  by  Thomas  Fagan,  1838.— The 
burial  ground  of  Templecormac  is  enclosed  by  a  quick-set  fence  ; 
the  graves  are  numerous  but  there  are  few  headstones  ;  it  is  used  by 
persons  of  every  religious  denomination,  but  principally  by  Catholics. 
The  Irish  Cry  accompanied  funerals  of  Catholics  until  about  the  year 
1800.  The  graveyard  was  formerly  much  more  extensive  than  at 
present.  Only  the  foundations  of  the  old  church  now  remain,  and 
they  are  covered  over  with  earth  and  grass.  The  church  stood 
nearly  east  and  west,  44  by  20  feet  in  the  inside  ;  the  walls,  of  rough 
stones  firmly  grouted,  were  2  feet  10  inches  thick.  A  large  portion 
of  the  walls  remained  until  about  1790.  At  the  same  time  were 
removed  the  remains  of  the  dwelling-house  of  the  clergy,  the  site  of 
which  is  at  present  occupied  by  Robert  M'Aleavey's  dwelling-house. 
Two  ancient  wells,  one  of  which  is  at  present  closed,  used  to  be 
visited  for  the  cure  of  sundry  diseases.  It  is  said  that  there  was 
formerly  a  great  educational  establishment  here,  presided  over  by 
three  friars.  For  the  use  of  this  establishment  there  was  a  tract  of 
land,    which  is  now  called   the  Church  Fields,    and   is  occupied  by 


Eobert  M'Aleavey  and  James  Gibson.  A  friar  had  Divine  Service 
at  the  ruin  of  the  church  about  60  years  ago.  Templecormac  is  said  to 
have  been  founded  by  Cormac  A'Killy— Informants,  James  Dunnigan, 
William  Brannagh,  and  others. 

Ballindery  Church  and  burial  ground  were  situated  on  a  small  and 
beautiful  island  on  the  east  side  of  Loughbeg.  Of  the  church 
only  the  gables  remain  ;  it  measured  62i  by  244  feet  in  the  inside  ; 
the  walls,  of  whin  and  gray  stones  with  a  few  freestones  grouted 
well,  are  3  feet  3  inches  thick.  In  the  east  gable,  4  feet  above  the 
present  surface,  rise  the  ruins  of  an  oblong  window,  6  feet  3  inches 
high  and  2i  feet  broad  on  the  outside,  but  much  larger  inside  In 
the  west  gable,  at  2  feet  above  the  present  surface,  rise  the  remains 
of  two  oblong  windows,  each  2  feet  9  inches  high  and  84  inches  wide 
on  the  outside,  but  much  larger  in  the  inside.  The  inside  of  the 
church  is  occupied  by  graves,  and  the  surrounding  graveyard  is 
enclosed  by  a  hedge.  Nine  yards  to  the  south-west  of  the  western 
end  of  the  church  is  an  ancient  font,  sunk  in  an  irregular-shaped 
stone,  3  feet  2  mches  in  length,  2  feet  2  inches  in  breadth,  and  1  foot 
3  inches  in  thickness  Twenty-four  yards  south-west  of  that  font  is 
another  hard  gray  stone,  2  feet  10  inches  long,  14  feet  broad,  and 
11  inches  thick,  in  which  were  two  fonts,  one  of  which  is  nearly 
destroyed  ;  the  existing  font  is  an  oval,  of  12  by  10  inches  and  5^ 
inches  deep.  The  imperfect  font  seems  to  have  been  7  inches  in 
diameter  and  8  inches  in  depth.  This  stone  is  called  St.  Patrick's 
Knee-stone,  and  the  holes  are  said  to  mark  where  St.  Patrick  knelt 
in  prayer. 

The  Church  of  Ballinderry,  better  known  by  the  name  of  Law  Loo, 
was  founded  by  St.  Loo,*  in  whose  memory,  from  time  immemorial, 
the  4th  of  August  was  held  as  a  Patron  day.  Thousands  used  to 
assemble  at  the  old  church  on  that  day,  and  the  ceremonies  were 
performed  both  in  the  graveyard  and  in  the  church,  as  well  as  along 
the  edge  of  the  water,  where  large  stones  stand  at  regularly-arranged 
distances  to  mark  the  stations.  These  stations  were  formerly  con- 
ducted with  the  greatest  decorum,  and  were  attended  by  the  Roman 
Catholic  clergy,  but  they  gradually  became  scenes  of  drinking  and 
quarrelling,  until,  about  40  years  ago,  the  late  Rev.  .William  Dawson 
was  necessitated  to  abolish  the  Law  Loo  Stations. 

Camlln,  by  Thomas  Fagan,  1838.— The  church  of  Camlin,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Crumlin  River,  measures  72  by  21  feet  10  inches  on  the 
inside,  and  is  of  extraordinary  strength  and  thickness  of  wall,  varying 

"St.  Molua  of  Clonfert— Mulloe,  whose  festival  was  held  on  the  4th  of  Aus:ust 


XIV.  APPENDIX. 

from  5  to  6^  feet  in  thickness.  The  eastern  and  western  gables  are 
up  to  the  square.  Large  parts  of  the  west  end  of  both  the  north 
and  south  sidewalls  are  altogether  destroyed.  In  the  east  gable  are 
the  remains  of  a  Gothic  window,  54  feet  high,  3  feet  wide  in  the 
inside,  but  only  2  feet  wide  on  the  outside.  In  the  south  corner  of 
the  gable  are  the  ruins  of  a  safe  (piscina)  24  feet  broad,  2  feet  3  inches 
deep,  and  4  feet  high,  but,  as  the  walls  are  dilapidated,  its  original 
height  cannot  be  ascertained.  In  the  south  sidewall,  24  feet  from 
the  east  gable,  are  the  remains  of  an  arched  window,  3  feet  10  inches 
wide  by  3  feet  8  inches  high  in  the  inside.  In  both  sidewalls,  and 
nearly  opposite  to  each  other,  are  four  arches  these  arches  are 
partly  dilapidated.  Tliey  seem  to  have  been  74  feet  wide  at  the  base 
2  feet  10  inches  deep,  and  from  5  to  6  feet  high.  The  columns 
between  the  arches  are  of  masonry,  and  2^  feet  broad.  In  the  north 
sidewall,  within  15  feet  from  the  west  gable,  are  the  remains  of  a 
door,  a  portion  of  a  side  of  it  still  remains,  showing,  on  the  east  side 
of  it,  the  bolt-hole,  7  inches  wide,  8  inches  high,  and  5  feet  in  length. 
The  walls  of  the  church  have  been  much  injured  by  the  removal  of 
every  well-dressed  stone. 

Parish  of  Killead,  by  James  Boyle,  1838.  —  In  the  townland  of 
Killealy,  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  a  little  vallej'  extending  from 
the  great  mount  in  Seacash,  and  a  thousand  yards  west  of  it,  is  a 
large  circular  mound,  20  feeb  in  extreme  height,  its  summit  is 
irregular,  for  there  is  a  smaller  mound,  4  feet  high,  raised  on  it. 
The  circumference  at  its  base  is  131  feet;  it  is  surrounded  by  a 
ditch,  5  to  11  feet  deep  and  20  feet  wide.  A  rampart,  enclosing  an 
elliptical  area  260  by  190  feet,  includes  the  mound  and  ditch,  extend- 
ing close  to  the  latter  on  the  east  side,  but  projecting  80  feet  beyond 
it  on  the  western  side.  The  rampart  varies  in  thickness  from  26  to 
36  feet,  and  in  height  from  5  to  12  feet.  A  portion  of  its  northern 
side  has  been  removed.  The  mound  was  farther  protected  by  a  narrow 
ditch  and  parapet,  extending  about  250  feet  along  the  south-western 
side  of  the  rampart.  At  the  N.W.  side  of  the  rampart  are  portions 
of  small  circular  enclosures.     A  plan  of  the  fort  is  given. 

On  the  summit  of  a  little  crag,  in  Ballyrobbin,  a  small  burial 
ground  containing  the  foundations  of  a  church  was  discovered,  about 
five  years  ago.  Along  its  sides  a  row  of  skeletons  closely  laid  with 
their  heads  to  the  wall  were  found  on  the  bare  rock,  and  about 
two  feet  of  mould  over  them.  In  this  townland  are  several  mounds, 
one  is  greatly  mutilated  ;  it  is  16  feet,  its  figure  now  reduced  nearly  to 
a  square,  measures  160  by  130  feet.  ^   On  the  south  side  there  appears 


an  approach  to  a  building,  the  foundation  of  which  can  be 
traced  on  its  summit.  The  foundations  are  oval,  80  by  60  feet,  on 
its  south  side  is  an  entrance  8  feet  wide,  no  appearance  of  mortar  in 
the  foundations,  but  they  scarcely  rise  above  the  surface.  In  this 
townland  is  a  cave,  the  entrance  to  which  is  in  a  declivity  ;  it  is  now 
inaccessible  by  a  lodgment  of  water,  but  it  was  explored  and  is  of  the 
usual  construction  ;  the  stones  with  which  it  is  constructed  are  very 
large.  In  Ballyrobbin  is  a  fort  now  resembling  a  quarter  of  a  circle, 
the  radius  oi  which  is  120  feet.  It  consists  of  a  low  parapet  and 
ditch  ;  the  entrance  is  at  the  eastern  corner.  On  south  side  of  the 
entrance  the  parapet  increases  in  thickness  to  20  feet,  as  if  a  little 
mound  had  stood  there.  It  is  probable  that  there  is  a  cave  under 
the  parapet.  The  fort  locally  known  as  Ballyrobin  Fort  (of  which  a 
plan  is  given)  is  constructed  of  earth,  and  consists  of  a  circular  plat- 
form, 128  feet  in  diameter,  and  7  feet  high  above  the  ditch,  which  is 
12  feet  wide.  Beyond  the  ditch  are  the  remains  of  a  rampart.  27 
feet  thick,  and  there  seems  to  have  been  an  outside  ditch,  which  is 
now  almost  filled  up.  At  the  N.E.  side  of  the  fort,  within  40  feet  of 
its  circular  platform,  and  partly  formed  by  the  rampart,  is  a  circular 
mound,  60  feet  in  diameter,  and  10  feet  high,  enclosed  by  a  ditch,  5 
feet  wide,  which  communicates  with  the  inner  ditch.  A  circular 
rath  stood  within  70  yards  east  of  the  fort  until  a  few  years  ago. 
The  fort  is  much  mutilated.  About  J  of  a  mile  east  of  Ballyrobin 
Fort  is  a  rocky  knoll  locally  called  "  Court  Hill,"  where  it  is  said  the 
laws  were  proclaimed  and  trials  held.  It  has  no  remains,  but  its 
position  is  most  conspicuous. 

Dunc^onnell  Moat  consists  ol  a  circular  earthen  mound,  190  feet  in 
diameter  at  the  base,  67  at  the  summit,  and  21  feet  high  above  the 
bottom  of  the  ditch,  which  is  8  feet  deep  and  21  feet  wide.  Outside 
the  ditch  are  the  traces  of  a  very  broad  parapet  ;  the  entrance  was  on 
the  south.  On  the  eastern  side  of  the  mound,  near  its  summit,  an 
ornamented  earthern  urn  was  found  a  few  years  ago.  Two  small 
earthen  raths,  one  150  yards  east,  the  other  250  yards  south-west, 
were  levelled  within  memory,  and  a  third,  partly  demolished,  is  about 
100  yards  east  of  the  mound. 

Ballynageeragh  Fort  is  situated  along  a  little  rivulet.  The  fort  is 
much  injured  ;  its  outworks,  which  seem  to  have  been  of  stone,  have 
been  razed,  except  a  few  foundations  that  are  overgrown  with 
brambles  and  herbage.  It  is  a  circular  fort,  100  feet  in  diameter  and 
7  feet  high  above  the  inside  ditch,  which  is  10  feet  wide.  The 
Bamparts  are  from  7  to  10  feet  high  and  from  20  to  26  feet  broad. 


An  outer  ditch  encircled  this  from  the  stream  which  flows  past  the 
northern  side,  but  except  a  small  portion  on  the  east  it  is  nearly 
obliterated.  The  entrance  is  in  the  east ;  it  is  7  feet  wide  and  is 
approached  by  a  paved  road,  extending  eastward  between  two  parallel 
parapets,  16  feet  apart.  147  feet  from  the  exterior  of  the  rampart  a 
paved  way,  5^  feet  broad,  diverges  northerly  from  the  other  road. 
At  the  north  of  the  body  of  tlie  fort  are  traces  of  the  foundations  of 
a  square  building  of  stone,  24  by  18  feet ;  the  foundations  are  2  feet 
thick.  In  the  rampart,  at  north  side  of  the  entrance,  are  the  founda- 
tions of  auotlier  stone  building,  32  by  22  feet.  The  walls  ars  about 
2  feet  high  and  3  feet  broad,  composed  of  small  stones  without 
cement.  It  would  seem  that  the  walls  originally  were  not  much 
higher.  On  the  south  side  of  the  entrance  are  foundations  of  two 
sides  of  a  square  building  constructed  in  the  rampart.  It  measures, 
in  the  inside,  15  by  8  feet  ;  one  wall  is  4  feet,  the  other  3  feet  broad, 
but  presenting  no  appearance  of  mortar.  In  the  face  of  a  bank, 
forming  a  sort  of  counter-scarp  to  the  exterior  ditch,  is  a  structure, 
apparently  a  kiln  for  drying  corn.  At  the  south-east  extremity  of 
the  approach  are  faint  traces  of  a  building,  35  by  13  feet  in  the 
inside,  and  divided  into  two  apartments.  To  this  is  an  entrance  on 
the  north  side,  from  which  a  paved  road  extends  northward  to  an 
earthen  parapet  of  a  small  fort,  of  which  but  little  now  remains.  At 
the  west  side  of  the  parapet  are  the  foundations  of  a  stone  building, 
elliptic  at  one  end  and  square  at  the  other.  It  measures  54  by  20 
feet ;  the  foundations  only  appear  above  the  ground,  and  show  no 
mortar.  A  plan  of  this  fort  is  given.  In  British,  in  a  ditch,  is  a 
stone,  4 A  feet  high,  I5  feet  broad,  through  which  a  hole  one  inch  in 
diameter  passes  ;  it  evidently  was  a  gate  pillar  but  the  people  think 
it  Druidical  ;  it  is  called  the  "  Tooting  Stone,"  from  the  noise  the 
wind  makes  blowing  through  the  hole.  A  fort  has  just  been  demo- 
lished (September  1838)  in  Ardmore.  It  consisted  of  a  circular 
platform,  90  feet  in  diameter  and  12  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the 
ditch,  which  was  14  feet  wide  and  8  feet  deep.  Outside  the  ditch 
was  an  earthen  rampart,  12  feet  thick.  Three  paved  hearths  were 
found  on  the  platform  of  the  fort,  one  at  the  north-east,  one  at  the 
north-west,  and  one  at  the  south  side.  They  were  triangular,  and 
over  them  was  a  coating  of  wood  ashes  from  2  to  3  feet  deep. 
Another  liearth  was  discovered  in  the  rampart.  On  the  platform  of 
the  fort  several  pieces  of  large  querns  were  found  ;  and  in  the  ditch, 
quantities  of  bones  of  deer  and  of  small-sized  cows,  broken  earthen- 
ware, a  bronze  pin,  and  pieces  of  mortised  wood  were  found.       On 


APPENDIX.  xvii. 

the  same  farm  of  30  acres  six  other  forts  have  been  completely  razed 
within  memory  ;  and  another,  164  feet  in  diameter,  stili  remains 
•within  150  yards  of  the  one  described. 

About  30  years  ago  a  remarkable  fort  was  destroyed  in  Ballyma- 
connell.  It  contained  between  3  or  4  Irish  acres  ;  it  was  circular  and 
surrounded  by  a  parapet  faced  with  large  well-shaped  stones.  On 
the  inside  the  parapet  was  4  feet  high,  and  on  the  exterior  side  11 
feet  high  above  the  bottom  of  a  ditch,  which  was  20  feet  wide  ; 
traversing  the  body  of  the  fort  and  under  the  parapet  were  chambers, 
or  caves,  constructed  of  stones  set  on  their  ends,  and  across  these 
were  placed  stones  of  enormous  size,  forming  chambers,  some  of 
which  were  6  feet  in  height  ;  in  these  were  found  bones  of  small 
animals,  and  wood  ashes.  Another  fort  in  this  townland,  situated 
along  a  stream,  seems  to  have  been  very  strong,  though  there  are  no 
remains  of  outworks. 

In  the  townland  of  Seacash,  along  a  stream,  is  situated  an  earthen 
fort,  consisting  of  a  circular  platform,  100  feet  in  diameter,  enclosed 
by  a  ditch  14  feet  wide,  and  8  feet  deep  ;  outside  this  is  a  rampart, 
34  feet  thick  and  9  feet  high,  measuring  from  the  exterior  ditch, 
which  is  9  feet  wide,  and  4  feet  deep  ;  outside  this  is  another  rampart, 
8  feet  thick  and  3  feet  high,  on  the  exterior  side.  The  entrance  is  at 
the  eastern  side,  8  feet  wide,  and  is  approached  by  a  paved  road,  8 
feet  wide  extending  eastward  120  feet.  The  road  is  slightly  raised, 
and  is  composed  of  stones  of  from  8  to  10  inches  in  extreme 
dimensions,  well  laid,  and  flat  on  the  surface.  On  the  south-east 
side  of  the  fort  are  some  earthworks,  one  of  which,  contiguous  to  the 
outer  rampart,  consists  of  a  somewhat  elliptic  enclosure,  measuring 
74  by  21  feet,  it  is  formed  by  an  earthen  parapet,  now  only  a  few 
inches  high  ;  outside  the  parapet  is  a  ditch,  and  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  ditch  is  another  parapet,  connected  with  other  outworks, 
which  extend  eastward  for  415  feet.  At  the  eastern  extremity  is  a 
small  circular  platform,  48  feet  in  diameter,  and  about  a  foot  high. 
There  are  other  outworks  extending  from  the  western  side,  and 
connected  with  a  low  parapet,  extending  for  362  feet  from  east  to 
west,  along  the  northern  side  of  the  fortification.  The  fort  has  not 
suffered  much,  except  in  its  outworks,  which  now  with  difficulty  can 
be  traced. 

In  demolishing  a  fort  in  this  townland  of  Seacash,  about  27  year 
ago,  a  cave  of  the  usual  construction,  about  120  feet  in  length  and  4 
feet  in  height,  was  discovered,  traversing  the  centre  of  the  fort.  This 
gallery,  or  cave,    contained  a  single  row  of  enormously  strong  oak 

2o 


XVlll.  APPENDIX. 

boxes  or  coffins,  each  containing  a  skeleton  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation.  The  coffins  were  left  where  found,  and  the  cave  and 
fort  levelled  over  them. 

In  Tully.  occupping  a  conspicuous  position,  on  the  summit  of  an 
eminence,  406  feet  above  the  sea  level,  is  a  hemispherical  mound,  10 
feet  high,  and  64  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  but  it  seems  to  have 
been  much  reduced  in  size.  It  seems  to  have  been  funereal.  572 
yards  south-west  of  it  is  a  very  remarkable  fortification,  consisting 
of  three  circular  platforms,  measuring  at  the  summit,  respectively, 
106,  102,  and  100  feet  in  diameter,  a  parapet  from  2  to  4  feet  high  in 
the  interior,  encompasses  the  summit  of  each  platform  or  fort.  They 
are  elevated  from  8  to  13  feet  above  the  ditch,  8  feet  wide  and  44  feet 
deep,  which  surrounds  eacli,  and  which  is  common  to  all ;  outside  the 
inner  ditch,  is  a  rampart  encompassing  the  entire  work  15  feet  thick 
and  from  7  to  9  feet  high  ;  an  outer  ditch,  4  feet  deep  and  from  5  to 
8  feet  wide,  extends  along  the  greater  portion  of  this  rampart.  The 
entrances  are  protected  by  earthen  parapets.  Outworks  can  be 
traced  extending  154  yards  south-east.  They  consist  of  elliptical 
figures,  300  by  100  feet ;  beyond  them  are  faint  traces  of  a  similar 
work  ;  they  consist  of  earthen  parapets,  a  few  inches  high.  The 
fortification,  except  the  outworks,  is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation. 
It  is  in  a  low  situation  in  the  north-west  of  a  little  valley  ;  606  yards 
south-east  of  it,  is  a  rath  or  fort,  and  350  yards  further  on  is  another, 
while  on  the  summit  of  the  rising  ground,  572  yards  north-east  of  it 
is  the  funeral  mound,  already  mentioned  (which,  no  doubt,  was  the 
folk-rnote  of  the  clan  that  occupied  this  little  city).  In  this  townlaud 
there  is  a  cave  for  many  years  closed  up,  and  the  ground  over  it 
laboured.  Gartree  burial  ground  was  for  centuries  the  place  of 
interment  of  the  sept  of  the  Mulhollans.  A  curious  stone  chair  (of 
which  a  drawing  is  given)  stands,  near  a  farm  house,  in  Gartree.  It 
is  a  single  stone,  formed  by  nature  into  the  shape  of  a  high-backed 
chair,  there  is  nothing  known  of  it,  not  even  how  it  found  its  way 
to  its  present  position,  where  it  is  used  as  a  "  Getting-on  Stone." 

In  Randox  and  Lisnataylor  are  large  forts,  each  of  which  is 
defended  by  three  parapets  and  3  ditches  ;  and  there  are  in  the 
parish  6  forts,  which  have  each  two  parapets  and  two  ditches,  but 
all  these  are  composed  of  earth  only. 

In  the  townlaud  of  Dundesert,  about  150  yards  north-east  of  the 
site  of  the  church  of  Dundesert,  is  a  mound  somewhat  hemispherical, 
but  now  reduced  in  size  ;  it  is  15  feet  high  and  198  feet  in  diameter 
at  the  base.      There  are  traces  of  a  rampart  ;  the  entrance  to  the 


APPENDIX.  XIX. 

rampart  is  103  feet  from  the  base  of  the  mound.  The  situation  is 
low  ;  but  the  mound  seems  to  have  been  funereal.  (Description  of 
Cashel  and  Church  of  Dundesert  omitted.)  In  the  graveyard  was 
found  "  a  gold  brooch,  6  inches  long,  having  a  swivel  at  the  top." 
Several  cinerary  urns  were  found  in  the  surrounding  mound  and 
parapet  (it  would  seem  that  it  was  a  military,  before  it  became  an 
ecclesiastical  cashiol). 

In  Crossbill,  on  the  steep  acclivity  of  the  bank  of  the  Crumlin 
Water,  is  a  mound  in  a  fairly  perfect  state  of  preservation  ;  it  is  2G 
feet  high,  104  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  24  feet  at  the  summit. 
It  seems  to  have  been  funereal. 

A  considerable  quantity  of  human  bones  was  discovered  about  40 
years  ago  in  Kilcross,  in  what  seemed  to  have  been  a  graveyard,  but 
there  were  no  indications  of  a  church.  In  a  cave  in  this  townland, 
constructed  in  the  usual  manner,  a  bronze  pipe  was  found. 

In  Ballykennedy  is  a  graveyard  which  contained,  within  memory 
of  old  people,  the  foundations  of  a  church.  Occupying  a  conspicuous 
position  in  this  townland  is  a  mound  13  feet  high,  128  feet  in  diameter 
at  the  base,  and  88  feet  at  the  summit ;  there  are  traces  of  a  ditch 
and  rampart  which  encompassed  it. 

In  Ballyhill,  within  20  yards  of  Dundesert  river,  is  a  little  semi- 
globular  mound,  10  feet  high  and  190  feet  in  circumference  ;  it  is  so 
located  at  the  base  of  the  impending  bank  that  it  is  only  disceruable 
from  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream.  The  mound  does  not  seem 
mutilated. 

In  Aughnamullan  is  a  cave,  but  now  closed.  A  person  named 
Suffern  found  in  a  gravelly  swell  in  this  townland,  last  year,  nearly  a 
dozen  earthen  urns  filled  with  bones  ;  the  urns  were  all  broken  when 
lifting  them 

In  Ballytweedy  is  a  fort  nearly  square,  110  by  104  feet,  5  feet  high 
above  the  bottom  of  a  ditch  6  feet  wide.  The  fort  has  been  used  as 
a  garden,  which  has  gradually  reduced  its  height.  The  falling  in  of 
some  covering  stones  discovered  a  cave,  of  the  usual  construction, 
running  parallel  to,  and  at  a  little  distance  from,  the  northern  side. 
The  cave  has  not  been  traced  any  distance.  In  Ballytweedy  there  is 
also  an  earthen  fort  of  an  elliptic  form,  120  by  100  feet,  divided  into 
two  divisions  by  a  low  parapet,  from  4  to  6  feet  high  and  from  6  to  8 
feet  thick,  with  a  ditch  6  feet  wide.  There  is  an  entrance  in  its 
southern  and  another  in  its  north-east  side.  To  the  left  of  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  dividing  parapet  the  exterior  parapet 
increases  in  thickness  to  20  feet,  and  extends  from  it  half  way  round 
the  fort.     The  top  of  the  covering  stones  of  a  cave  can  be  traced. 


Grange  of  Carmavy,  by  James  Boyle,  1838, — The  old  graveyard, 
near  the  cantre  of  the  grange,  is  57  by  54  yards  ;  within  memory 
the  foundations  of  the  church  stood  near  the  centre  of  the  burial 
ground.  There  are  four  forts  constructed  of  earth  in  the  grange,  one 
is  situated  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  where  the  builders  of  it  took 
advantage  of  a  basaltic  top,  on  which  an  earthen  parapet  of  circular 
form  has  been  raised.  The  fort  is  165  feet  in  diameter,  and  is  from 
9  to  12  feet  high.  The  slight  traces  of  a  plateau,  or  terrace,  appear 
extending  round  two-thirds  of  the  fort.  Near  the  eastern  side  of  the 
grange  is  a  remarkable  fort,  containing  artificial  caves.  It  occupies 
the  summit  of  a  little  crag,  which  jutting  out,  rises  from  5  to  12  feet 
above  the  bed  of  a  rivulet  watering  a  little  ravine,  along  its  northern 
side.  The  fort  is  almost  quadrangular,  measuring  90  by  78  feet,  and 
encompassed  by  a  rampart,  about  2  feet  high  and  2  feet  thick,  except 
along  its  southern  side,  where  it  seems  to  have  been  connected  with 
another  fort,  which  has  almost  totally  disappeared.  There  are  two 
entrances,  one  on  the  west  side,  2  feet  wide,  and  one  at  the  north- 
east angle,  34  feet  wide,  the  latter  is  protected  by  the  parapet 
extending  along  its  side  for  12  feet.  In  the  interior  are  marks,  now 
faint,  of  divisions.  The  northern  parapet  extending  along  the  brink 
of  the  crag  exhibits  at  its  western  extremity  the  covering  stones  of  a 
cave.  This  cave  is  very  extensive,  its  sides  are  formed  of  long 
stones  laid  transversely,  and  as  the  wall  on  each  side  rises,  each  row 
of  stones  projects  beyond  that  below,  and  thus  the  walls  converge 
towards  the  summit,  which  is  covered  with  huge  slabs,  each  from 
half  a  ton  to  three  tons  in  weight.  SO  yards  south-west  of  the  fort 
was  a  cave,  most  of  the  stones  of  which  have  been  removed.  From 
this  cave,  another  can  be  externally  traced  extending  northward 
towards  the  stream.  A  very  extensive  cave  occurs  in  the  acclivity 
of  a  hill,  near  the  western  side  of  the  grange  (a  plan  of  the  cave  is 
given). 

Tullyrush,  by  Thomas  Fagan,  1838. — The  site  of  the  church  and 
the  graveyard  of  Tullyrusk,  occupy  an  eminence  in  the  townland  of 
Tullyrusk.  As  near  as  can  be  judged,  from  the  dilapidated  state  of 
the  foundation  walls,  the  church  was  61  by  19  feet  ;  the  walls  of  rough 
stones  grouted,  were  3  feet  in  thickness.  A  large  portion  of 
the  walls  remained  up  till  1800,  when  they  were  taken  down  to  assist 
in  building  a  schoolhouse.  The  altar,  which  was  of  stone  work,  and 
was  at  the  eastern  end,  was  discovered  in  sinking  graves.  The  Irish 
Cry  accompanied  funerals  of  Catholics  up  till  1817,  A  short  distance 
north  of  the  church  was  an  old  castle,  said  to  have  been  occupied 


APPENDIX.  XXI. 

liy  the  Norton  family,  At  the  castle  was  a  fort,  a  great  portion  of 
which  still  remains,  though  mutilated.  To  the  south  of  the  church 
was  a  hamlet,  named  Leathemstown,  which  is  said  to  have  extended 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  length;  walls  and  hearths  of  a  hundred 
houses,  two  corn  kilns,  and  a  mill-race,  have  been  found  on  the  site 
of  the  town,  which  is  now  under  tillage. 

Parish  of  Derryaghy,  by  Thomas  Fagan,  1837. — In  John  Scott's 
farm,  in  Bovolcan,  is  a  large  Standing  Stone,  3  feet  10  inches  high, 
2  feet  10  inches  broad,  and  IJ  feet  thick.  In  John  Galloway's  farm, 
in  Bovolcan,  was  a  fort  20  yards  in  diameter,  enclosed  by  a  moat  and 
parapet,  but  it  is  now  destroyed,  except  about  8  by  6  yards  of  the 
area,  which  rises  about  6  feet  above  the  field.  In  demolishing  th  e 
fort  there  were  discovered  several  excavations  beneath  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  fort,  some  of  them  were  circular,  about  3  feet  deep  and 
2  feet  in  diameter  ;  in  them  were  found  decayed  bones.  They  were 
connected  by  square  passages.  About  100  yards  west  of  the  fort  was 
an  entrance  into  the  main  passage  that  led  to  the  fort  and  to  the 
excavations.  The  main  passage  was  closed  by  a  flat  stone,  the  passage 
increased  in  depth  every  yard  to  the  fort.  All  these  passages  were  ex- 
cavated in  the  earth  without  the  use  of  stones  either  in  the  sides  or 
roofs  (it  seems  to  have  been  an  ordinary  cave  sunk  in  a  place  where  the 
hardness  of  the  clay  enabled  its  constructors  to  dispense  with  the  use 
of  stones.)  In  Anthony  Watson's  farm,  in  White  Mountain,  is  a 
Standing  Stone,  4  feet  long,  and  2 J  feet  broad,  li  feet  thick;  it  is  at 
present  in  a  sloping  position,  and  some  other  stones  lying  about  it.  In 
the  farm  of  George  M'Court  are  the  ruinsof  afort,  50yards  in  diameter; 
a  part  of  its  clay  parapet,  2  feet  high  and  7  feet  thick,  still  remains. 
In  the  farm  of  James  Armstrong,  in  Aghalislone,  are  the  ruins  of  an 
earthen  fort,  25  yards  in  diameter,  enclosed  by  a  moat  from  6  to  10 
feet  wide  ;  a  paved  hearth  and  quern  stones  were  found  in  the  fort. 
In  the  same  farm  is  another  fort,  nearly  square,  11  yards  by  11  yards, 
the  parapet  is  of  stone  and  clay,  but  greatly  destroyed  ;  the  part 
remaining  of  it,  is  from  4  to  9  feet  high,  and  16  feet  thick  at  the 
base  ;  the  moat  is  from  6  to  15  feet  wide.  In  the  same  farm  is  a 
third  fort,  which  never  was  completed  ;  it  is  of  clay,  oblong  in  form, 
22  by  18  feet ;  there  is  a  trace  of  a  moat.  In  the  farm  of  William 
Abernethy,  in  Aghlislone,  are  the  ruins  of  two  forts,  the  largest  is 
oval,  40  by  30  yards,  enclosed  by  two  moats  and  two  parapets  ;  what 
remains  of  the  inner  parapet  is  from  3  to  7  feet  above  the  area,  and 
from  10  to  18  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  moat,  and  is  22  feet  thick 
at  the  base  ;  the  moat  averages  15  feet  in  width.     The  remains  of 


XXU.  APPENDIX. 

the  outside  parapet  is  from  5  to  10  feet  high  and  15  feet  thick,  while 
the  outer  moat  is  9  feet  wide.  The  smaller  fort  is  30  yards  in 
diameter,  and  enclosed  by  a  moat  and  a  parapet,  which  was  of  clay 
and  stones.  These  two  forts  are  close  together,  and  evidently  formed 
one  fortress.  In  the  same  townland,  and  in  the  farm  of  Joseph 
Greer,  are  the  ruins  of  an  oblong  fort,  30  by  26  yards,  what  remains 
of  the  parapet,  of  earth  and  stones,  is  20  feet  thick  and  5  feet  high  ; 
the  moat  is  destroyed.  In  the  farm  of  Renny  Boomer,  in  Aghlislone, 
stood  an  ancient  church,  which  was  razed  to  the  ground  many  years 
ago,  around  it  was  a  burial  ground  ;  on  the  site,  bones  and  pieces  of 
earthen  crocks  were  found,  at  a  former  period.  In  this  townland 
are  the  ruins  of  a  "  Giant's  Grave,"  in  the  farm  of  Daniel  Partridge. 
It  occupied  a  space  of  about  24  by  8  feet,  and  consisted  of  two  rows 
of  standing  stones,  the  one  row  was  placed  a  few  feet  from  the  other. 
The  covering  stones  were  of  great  weight,  and  various  devices  were 
cut  on  one  of  the  standing  stones.  All  are  now  sunk  into  pits  dug 
for  them,  except  one,  which  forms  a  part  of  the  fence,  and  stands  4^ 
feet  high  and  3  4  feet  broad.  Daniel  Partridge,  in  raising  the 
foundations  of  some  ancient  building  in  his  farm,  in  Aghalislone,  found 
a  set  of  large  square  amber  beads  with  a  gold  cross,  about  4  inches 
long,  attached  to  them  ;  he  gave  the  beads  to  different  persons,  and 
sold  the  cross  to  the  late  James  Ward,  of  Lisburn,  In  the  farm  of 
Eobert  Watson,  in  Aghalislone,  are  the  ruins  of  a  fort  40  yards  in 
diameter.  In  the  farm  of  John  Chapman,  in  Magheralave,  are  the 
ruins  of  an  oval  fort,  40  by  35  yards  ;  what  remains  of  the  parapet  is 
7  feet  high,  the  moat  is  filled.  In  the  farm  of  John  Boomer,  in 
Magheralave,  is  a  fort  40  yards  in  diameter  ;  the  parapet  is  levelled  ; 
part  of  the  moat  still  remaining  is  from  8  to  11  feet  wide,  A  fort,  37 
yards  in  diameter,  is  in  a  ruined  state,  in  the  farm  of  Gilbert  Gowdy ; 
and  another,  35  yards  in  diameter,  in  the  farm  of  George  Watson, 
also  in  Magheralave,  is  likewise  nearly  destroyed.  In  Ballymacward 
Upper,  there  was  a  fort,  now  destroyed,  in  the  farm  of  John  White. 
In  Robert  Hamilton's  farm,  in  that  townland,  is  a  standing  stone,  2J 
feet  broad,  2  feet  high,  and  1  foot  thick.  In  Ballymacross,  were 
three  forts,  which  are  all  destroyed,  and  their  sites  under  tillage.  In 
the  farm  of  William  Graham  are  the  ruins  of  a  fort  of  unusual  size, 
and  of  an  irregular  oval  form,  108  by  100  yards,  and  higher  in  the 
middle  than  towards  the  outside.  The  parapet  was  of  clay,  but  is 
greatly  destroyed  ;  what  remains  of  it  is  from  3  to  5  feet  high,  and 
from  10  to  13  feet  thick  ;  the  moat  is  from  8  to  14  feet  wide.  There 
was  an  outer  parapet,  10  feet  thick,  which  is  nearly  destroyed.     21 


yards  south  of  the  fort  is  a  three-cornered  fort,  26  yards  long,  and  20 
yards  wide  at  one  end,  6  yards  wide  at  the  other.  The  parapet  of 
this  was  of  earth  and  stones  ;  what  remains  ot  it  is  5  feet  high  and  17 
feet  thick  ;  the  moat  is  13  feet  wide.  In  Aghnahough  is  a  fort,  in 
the  farm  of  Edward  Johnson,  it  is  35  yards  in  diameter,  the  parapet 
of  clay  is  from  15  to  20  feet  in  thickness  and  from  2  to  4  feet  above 
the  area  of  the  fort  ;  the  moat  is  from  7  to  11  feet  wide.  There  was 
another  fort  in  the  farm  of  Alexander  Blackburn,  in  Aghnahough, 
but  it  is  now  destroyed. 

In  the  farm  of  Pat  M'Afee,  in  Derryaghy,  was  a  fort  which  is  now 
destroyed.  There  was  a  fort  in  the  farm  of  John  Jones,  and  another 
in  that  of  Edward  Alderdice  ;  both  were  in  Derryaghy  but  they  are 
now  destroyed.  James  Blake  found,  about  a  foot  and  a  half  beneath 
the  surface,  in  his  farm  in  Derryaghy,  a  vault  7  feet  long,  2  feet 
broad,  and  1.^  feet  deep,  built  with  stones  and  covered  with  flat 
stones.  In  William  Grogan's  farm  in  Derryaghy  are  the  remains  of 
a  fort,  20  yards  in  diameter  ;  what  remains  of  the  parapet,  chiefly  of 
clay,  is  from  6  to  10  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  moat,  and  from  1 
to  4  feet  above  the  area  of  the  fort,  and  20  feet  thick.  Another  fort 
was  in  the  farm  of  Kenny  Boomer,  which  is  now  destroyed.  In  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  Rock  House,  in  Derryaghy,  and  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  church,  is  an  ancient  spring  named  the  Rock  Well, 
at  the  base  of  a  large  rock.  This  well  was  formerly  visited  by 
persons  from  great  distances  to  obtain  cures  and  to  pray  at  it.  On 
an  eminence  in  Derryaghy,  about  half  a  mile  south-west  of  Derry- 
aghy church,  were  formerly  extensive  buildings  and  a  graveyard. 
The  walls  were  removed  about  56  years  ago  to  build  houses  at  the 
end  of  Pipe  Hill,  Lisburn.  In  removing  the  graveyard  the  late  John 
Seeds  found  vaults  of  stonework  containing  urns  filled  with  bones. 

In  Kilmakee  is  an  ancient  burying  ground,  in  the  farm  of  Widow 
Thompson  ;  decayed  coffins,  rough  headstones,  and  human  bones 
were  found  on  the  site,  which  is  now  a  vegetable  garden.  In  the 
farm  of  William  Charley,  in  Kilmakee,  are  the  ruins  of  a  clay  mound, 
15  feet  high  in  some  parts.  In  Legmore,  and  in  the  farm  of  Edward 
Thompson,  are  the  remains  of  a  fort  40  yards  in  diameter.  What 
remains  of  the  parapet  is  from  4  to  6  feet  high  and  from  4  to  8  feet 
thick.  The  moat  is  from  12  to  13  feet  wide.  Houses  are  erected  on 
a  part  of  the  fort.  In  the  farm  of  John  Hichardson,  in  Legmore,  are 
the  remains  of  a  fort  24  yards  in  diameter,  the  remaining  part  of  the 
parapet  is  6  feet  high,  and  the  moat  8  feet  broad.  On  the  north  side, 
in  the  bottom  of  the  moat,  is  a  Standing  Stone,  24  feet  high,  2^  feet 


broad,  and  1^  feet  thick.  In  John  Hunter's  farm,  in  Killeaton,  are 
the  ruins  of  a  fort  25  yards  in  diameter,  now  nearly  destroyed. 
Another  fort,  now  destroyed,  was  in  the  same  farm.  In  demolishing 
these  forts  several  Danes'  pipes  were  found. 

In  the  farm  of  Robert  Waring,  in  BallyooUin,  are  the  remains  of  a 
fort  30  yards  in  diameter.  The  moat  averaged  20  feet  in  width,  but 
there  was  no  appearance  of  a  parapet.  Ou  the  summit  of  Collin 
Mountain  are  the  ruins  of  a  cairn  which  is  locally  called  Collin  Top; 
it  was  20  yards  in  diameter  and  its  summit  was  about  9  feet  high, 
but  it  is  greatly  dilapidated.  It  was  explored  at  a  former  period, 
and  a  cave,  or  chamber,  was  discovered  in  it,  and  decayed  human 
bones.  Some  of  the  stones  that  formed  the  roof  and  sides  of  the 
cave  are  yet  on  the  site.  At  a  short  distance  north  of  the  mountain 
are  the  remains  of  another  cairn,  in  the  holding  of  William  Bradshaw ; 
it  was  14  yards  in  diameter  and  was  enclosed  by  a  row  of  large  stones 
placed  around  the  base,  some  of  which  still  remain  ;  but  the  cairn  has 
been  rumed  by  explorers  ;  its  summit  is  only  4  feet  above  the  level 
of  its  base.  Seven  yards  north  of  this  cairn  is  a  Standing  Stone,  .3 
feet  high,  2  feet  broad,  and  li  feet  thick,  and  beside  it  a  large  stone 
lies  prostrate.  On  the  west  side  of  the  cairn  are  two  smaller  Standing 
Stones  several  yards  apart.  In  the  holding  of  John  Hamill,  in  the 
same  townland,  is  a  valley,  between  Collin  Mountain  and  the  neigh- 
bouring hills,  called  the  Mass  Corner,  where  the  Catholics  formerly 
assembled  for  Mass.  Three  of  the  steps  ascending  to  the  altar  still 
remain,  two  of  them  are  2  feet  long,  but  the  third  is  much  shorter ; 
the  altar  is  demolished.  At  the  base  of  Collin  Mountain,  on  the 
farm  of  Arthur  Collin,  is  the  site  of  a  cairn  called  the  Boy  Hill.  It 
was  30  feet  in  diameter.  In  destroying  it,  in  1819,  was  discovered  a 
vault  about  5^  feet  long,  24  feet  broad,  and  3  feet  deep,  covered  by  a 
long  flat  stone,  which  rested  on  Standing  Stones  ;  it  contained  a 
quantity  of  decayed  bones.  The  covering  stone,  still  on  the  site,  is 
3  feet  4  inches  high,  2  feet  broad,  and  1  foot  3  inches  thick.  There 
is  about  2  feet  of  it  sunk  in  the  earth  ;  its  length  was  therefore  about 
5  feet  4  inches.  William  Bradshaw  in  cutting  tuif  found  about  a 
dozen  beads  of  unusual  shape  and  quality  ;  he  has  also  flint  arrow- 
heads, called  elf-stones. 

In  Tornaroy  there  is,  in  the  farm  of  John  Dorner,  a  Standing 
Stone,  24  feet  high,  1^  feet  broad,  and  1  foot  thick.  In  the  farm  of 
John  M'Areavey,  in  Tornaroy,  are  the  ruins  of  a  clay  fort;  nothing  of 
it  remains  but  8  by  6  yards  of  the  area.  It  would  have  been  entirely 
removed,  but,  in  1807,  the  hay  that  grew  on  it  was  swept  away  by  a 


APPENDIX.  XXV. 

whirlwind  to  Turnacrumble,  about  a  mile  distant  from  it,  and  ever 
since  the  owner  of  it  would  not  permit  a  scythe  to  be  laid  on  its  surface. 
On  a  mountain  in  Tornaroy  are  three  Standing  Stones,  in  the  holding 
of  John  M'Areavey.  They  stood  nearly  in  a  direct  line  on  a  distance 
of  26  feet ;  one  of  them  was  broken  at  the  surface  at  some  former 
period,  and  the  other  two  are  now  laid  prostrate.  One  of  them  is 
7  feet  long,  3  feet  broad,  and  2  feet  3  inches  thick,  the  other  is  6  feet 
long  and  of  the  same  breadth  and  thickness  as  its  companion. 

Parish  of  Lambey,  by  Thomas  Fagan,  1837. — Lambeg  graveyard 
was  the  site  of  an  ancient  m-nnery.  It  stood  south  of  the  church  ; 
a  portion  of  its  ruins  were  used  to  build  an  addition  to  the  east  end 
of  the  church.  On  the  south  is  a  piece  of  ground  called  the  Nuns' 
Garden.  In  Lambeg  were  two  forts — one  in  the  farm  of  Alexander 
Williamson,  and  the  other  in  the  farm  of  Henry  Bell ;  both  are 
destroyed  and  their  sites  under  tillage. 


In  1766,  the  House  of  Lords  was  very  much  alarmed  at 
tlie  "Increase  of  Popery,"  and  on  the  5th  March,  1766  : — 

"Resolved,  that  the  several  Archbishops  and  Bishops  of  this 
Kingdom  shall  be,  and  are  hereby,  desired  to  direct  the  Parish 
Ministers  in  their  respective  dioceses,  to  return  a  list  of  the  several 
families  in  their  parishes  to  this  House,  on  the  lirst  Monday  after 
the  Recess,  distinguishing  which  are  Protestants,  and  which  are 
Papists,  as  also  a  list  of  the  several  reputed  Popish  Priests  and  Friars 
residing  in  their  Vsinshes."— Journal  of  House  of  Lords. 

To  many  of  these  returns,  which  are  now  arranged  in  the 
Record  Office,  I  had  not  access  until  after  I  had  written  the 
account  of  the  parishes  to  which  they  refer. 

Downpatrick.— The  town  of  Downpatrick  contains  heads  of 
Protestant  families,  numbered  by  the  curate,  307  (5  computed  to  each 
family).  Said  town  contains  heads  of  Popish  families,  153.  Mo 
Popish  priest  in  said  town.  Returns  of  the  country  parts  of  said 
parish  have  already  been  made  by  Rev.  Charles  Hamilton,  curate 
assistant  of  said  parish,  Daniel  Matthews,  curate  of  Down. 

Loughinlsland.—'Piotestant  families,  301 ;  Papist  families,  364. 
Popish  priests,  Laurence  Keenan,  and  Theophilus  M'Cartan,  Titular 
Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor.  Fryars  none.  Mass  Houses,  2.— 
April  19th,  1766,  Signed,  Stephen  M'MuUan,  Curate  of  Loughin- 
island. 


XXVI.  APPENDIX. 

Parish  of  Rathmullan.—Froteata^nt  families,  132;  Papist  families, 
164.  Popish  Priests  resident  in  the  parish  of  Rathmullin,  Charles 
Christian,  Daniel  Clinton.  James  Hillan,  fryar,  acts  as  priest  in  part 
of  the  parish,  but  does  not  reside  in  it. 

Parish  of  Tyrella,  part  of  the  Deanery  of  Down,  hut  episcopally 
united  to,  and  served  at  the  Church  of  RathmuUan. — Protestant 
families,  21  ;  Papist  families,  41.— Returned  by  James  Hamilton, 
Vicar  of  RathmuUan. 

Bailee. — Protestant  families,  111;  Papist  families,  53.     One  priest. 

Ballyculter. — Protestant  families,  157  ;  Papist  families,  192. 
Neither  Popish  priest  nor  friar  resident  here. 

Kilchief — Protestant  families,  28,  Persons,  144  ;  Papist  families, 
105,  Persons,  715. — Signed  Moses  Davies. 

Inch. — Protestant  families,  195  ;  Papist  families,  158.  One 
Popish  Priest. — True  return.  Edward  Trotter,  Rector  of  Inch  and 
Prebend  of  St.  Andrews. 

"The  parish  of  Kilmore,  in  the  Diocese  of  Down,  contains  heads 
of  Protestant  families  numbered  by  the  vicar,  375.  Said  parish 
contains  heads  of  Popish  families,  163.  Two  Popish  Priests  resident 
in  the  above  parish. — Daniel  Matthews,  Vicar  of  Kilmore." 

Ballyphilip  and  Appendages. — Protestant  families,  316,  Persons, 
1,562  ;  Papist  families,  339,  Persons,  1;623.  Popish  Priest,  1, 
Assistant  Priest,  1,  Suspended  Priest,  1. — Signed,  Mathew  Haslett. 

Ardkeen  and  Witter. — Persons,  Protestant,  483,  Papists,  815. — 
Hamilton  Blackwood.  (This  return  gives  the  population  of  each 
townland,  and  in  it  the  townland  of  Kintagh  is  entered  as  alias 
Kildressn). 

Parishes  of  Inishargie,  Ballyhalbert,  and  Ballywalter. — 583 
families,  of  whom  55  are  Papists. — John  Mercer,  Minister. 

A  return  of  families  in  the  parishes  of  TuUynakill,  and  Grey- 
abbey,  by  N.  Hamilton,  19th  April,  1766  :— 

TuUynakill. — Protestant  families,  139  ;  Popish  families,  0. 

Oreyahhey. — Protestant  families,  346;  Popish  families,  5.  Papists,  28. 

Newtown  (Newtownards). — Sir, — After  the  greatest  care  to  make 
out  a  list  of  the  several  Protestant  and  Popish  families  in  this 
parish,  I  return  the  following,  in  obedience  to  their  Lordships' 
commands,  as  truly  authorative  and  correct.  — Number  of  Protestant 
families  of  all  Denominations,  983.  Number  of  Popish  families,  23. 
No  Popish  Priest,  no  fryar.  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient,  humble 
servant,  Hugh  Caldwell,  Newtown,  April  25th,  1766. 

Donarjhadee. — Protestant   families,   612.      No  Papist,   Priest,   or 


Fryar  in  the  whole  parish,  nor  have  been  these  eleven  years. — 
Monsell  Hewetson,  Curate. 

Parish  of  Holywood. — Families,  212,  all  Protestants,  except  2,  one 
of  which  has  four  Papists,  and  the  other  6  Papists  in  the  family. 
Neither  Popish  Priest  nor  Friar  in  the  parish. — E.  "Winder,  Curate, 
Holywood,  April  26th,  1766. 

Comber. — Protestant  families,  1,010  ;  Popish  families,  19.  Not 
any  Popish  Priest  or  Friar  resident  in  the  parish.  The  above  19 
families  consist  of  65  adult  Papists,  36  children  of  Papists,  under  the 
age  of  14.  Total  of  adults  and  children  in  the  parish  5,131. — 
Samuel  Stone,  Curate  Impropriate. 

Kilmud. — There  are  204  Protestant  families,  1  family  of  Papists, 
and  no  Popish  Priest  or  Fryar. — William  Bennett,  Vicar. 

Klllaney. — 117  families  of  Protestants,  all  Presbyterians  ;  3 
families  of  Papists.  Not  any  Popish  Priest  or  Friar  resident  in  the 
parish. — Samuel  Stones,  Vicar. 

Kirdonnell. — Families,  149.  There  are  only  3  Papists  in  the  parish, 
one  of  whom  is  head  of  a  family,  but  his  wife  and  children  are  Pro- 
testants ;  neither  Popish  Priest  nor  Friar. — Mathew  Garnet,  Curate. 

Knochhreda. — Protestant  families,  355;  Popish  families,  21.— 
Signed,  Bernard  Ward. 

Drumboe  and  Dumbeg. — April  19th,  1766.— Protestant  families, 
775  ;  Papist  families,  21.  No  Priests  or  Friars  in  the  above  parish. 
—Signed,  William  Vesey  Hamilton,  Curate. 

Hillsborough.— Sit,— In  obedience  to  the  order  of  the  House  of 
Lords,  I  inform  you,  that  there  are  in  the  parish  of  Hillsborough, 
County  of  Down,  431  Protestant  families,  9S  Papist  families.  No 
Popish  priest  resides  in  the  parish,  but  Mass  is  celebrated  in  it  by 
Michael  Morgan,  who  lives  near  Lisburn,  the  parish  of  Blaris.  The 
Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor  desires  me  to  send  you,  also,  the  number 
of  Protestants  and  Papists,  in  the  Prebend  of  Kilroot  and  County  of 
Antrim.  There  are  in  it  592  Protestant  families,  and  only  9  Papist 
families.  No  Popish  Priest  in  it,  nor  Mass  ever  celebrated  in  it  in 
the  memory  of  man.     I  am,  your  obedient  servant,  Trevor  Benson. 

Blaris. — Protestant  heads  of  families,  1,068  ;  Popish  heads  of 
families,  410.  One  Popish  Priest,  Michael  Morgan  ;  two  Popish 
schoolmasters,  John  MulhoUan,  and  Henry  Laverty. 

J/a?-a(7aZ.— Established  Church,  226;  Presbyterians,  124;  Quakers, 
15  ;  Papists,  55.  No  Priest  nor  Friar  in  said  Parish,  nor  any  place 
of  public  worship,  except  the  Church  Established. — H.  Reynett, 
Vicar. 


XXVlll.  APPENDIX. 

Magherame'^k.—Frotesta.nt  families,  146;  Popish  families,  49. 
No  Priest  or  Fryar. 

Derryaghy. — Protestant  families,  332  ;  Popish  families,  181,  and 
one  Popish  Priest.— Signed,  Philip  Shiels,  Vicar. 

Belfast. — In  the  Parish  of  Belfast,  Protestant  families,  2,177; 
Popish  families,  256.— Signed,  William  Tisdall. 

Carnmoney. — Protestant  families,  450;  Popish  families,  6.  Neither 
Popish  Priest  nor  Friar. 

Arjagallon. — Protestant  families,  109;  Popish  families,  223.  Rev. 
Cormac  Sheal  is  Parish  Priest. 

^a^^ijirferr?/.— Protestant  families,  372  ;  Papist  families,  141.  No 
Popish  priest  or  Friar  resident  in  Ballinderry. 

Klllead. — No  Popish  Priest  nor  Fryar  residing.  Protestant 
families,  466  ;  Papist  families,  54.— Wm.  Williamson,  Vicar. 

Island  Magee. — 232  families.  There  is  not  a  Papist  in  the  parish, 
and  so  no  Popish  Priest  or  Friar.— Drawn  by  me,  Geo.  Taylor,  Curate. 

Ballycor  and  Rashee. — Protestant  families,  336  ;  Papist  families, 
20. — (In  Belistin,  1,  in  Ballyalbanagh,  15,  in  Donemoy,  1,  in  Fal- 
darge,  1,  and  in  Ballynashee,  2.)  There  is  no  resident  Popish  Priest 
in  either  of  the  above  parishes.  There  is  one  Phillip  Scullin,  a 
Popish  Priest,  who  resides  in  the  County,  or  Liberty  of  Carrickfergus, 
and  who  at  certain  times  officiates  as  Priest  in  the  above  parishes. — 
Dated  at  Belliston,  19th  March,  1766.  John  Connor,  Curate  of 
Ballycor  and  Rashee. 

Sylvodan,  part  of  Parish  of  Connor. — Protestant  persons,  332, 
families,  76  ;  Papist  persons,  102,  families,  40. 

In  the  12  Towns  o/ C'ownor.  —  Protestant  persons,  890,  families, 
180  ;  Papist  persons,  15,  families,  2  (Pat  Graham,  Darby  O'Murray, 
and  5  servants). 

In  the  8  Towns  of  Kells. — Protestant  persons,  740,  families  193  , 
Papist  persons,  12,  families,  3  (James  Devlin,  John  M'Shannock, 
and  John  M'Adoran). 

In  Gknivherry,  Protestant  persons,  176,  families,  35  ;  Papist 
persons,  19,  families,  4  (Laughlin  M'Mullan,  Cormac  M'Quillan, 
Daniel  O'HefFerman,  and  4  servants). 

Drummaul. — Church  of  Scotland,  400  families,  Church  of  England, 
23  families,  of  the  Popish  religion,  87  families. — William  Tisdall, 
Vicar,  7th  April,  1766, 

Ahoghill. — Families,  Established  Church,  70  ;  Dissenters,  1,055  ; 
Papists,  244.  Stephen  Grant,  Popish  Priest,  neither  coadjutor  nor 
regular  in  ye  parish. 


APPENDIX.  XXIX. 

Ballymena,  19th  March,  1766. 
Sir, — According  to  orders  from  the  Bishop  of  this  diocese,  I  send  the 
number  of  famihes  in  the  parish.     There  are  505  Protestants,  and  23 
Popish   families.       Neither  Popish  priest  nor  friar  residing   in   the 
parish. — i  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant,  Thomas  Young. 

A  list  of  ye  several  families  contained  in  ye  united  parishes  of  Skerry 
and  Racavan  : — Protestant  families  of  the  Church  of  England,  10, 
Individuals,  56  ;  Dissenting  Protestant  families,  984,  Individuals, 
3981.  Papist  families,  224,  Individuals,  1,102.  There  is  but  one 
E.G.  Priest,  Roger  Magee  (see  vol.  iii.  p.  431.),  and  no  Fryars  in  the 
parish.  The  above  is  as  exact  as  could  be  possibly  obtained. 
William  Chichester. 

i)«?ia(7/i2/.— Protestant  families,  332  ;  Papist  families,  120. 

Loughgeile. — Protestant  families  of  Established  Church,  34, 
Protestant  Dissenter,  244  families  ;   Papists,  297  families,  one   priest. 

Rasharkin,  Finvoy,  Kilraghts,  and  Gran(>e  of  Kildallagh  returned 
by  Mr.  Skeffington  Bristow. 

Hasharkin. — Protestant  families,  284  ;  Popish  families,  205. 

Kilraghts.— Frotestsmt  families,  153  ;  Popish  families,  0. 

Grange  of  Kildallagh. — Protestant  families,  147;  Popish  families,  S; 
one  priest  for  the  two  parishes  of  Rasharkin  and  Finvoy. 

Ballymoney,  Diocese  of  Connor.— Chuvch  families,  83;  Dissenting 
families,  502  ;  Papist  families,  60. 

Derryheighan. — Protestant  families,  386  ;  Papist  families,  12. 
There  is  one  Popish  priest  between  this  and  the  four  adjoining 
parishes,  no  friar. — Irwin  Stewart. 

Milton  and  Singinton. — (Ballywillim  and  Ballyrashane) — Protestant 
families,  261  ;  Popish  families,  5.  (Neale  O'Haile,  Daniel  Carrill, 
Daniel  Gillesby,  Francis  Gillesby,  and  James  Dornan.)  No  Popish 
Priest,  no  Friar.  —  Robert  Heyland,  Curate. 

Colraine. — In  the  Town. — Protestant  families,  193;  Papist 
families,  11.  (Charles  M'Dade,  James  Friznell,  James  M'Laughlin, 
Eugh  Donnelly,  Charles  M'Fadden,  Neal  M'Gonigall,  Richard 
O'Cam,  Edward  Brodfoot,  Pat  M'Gonigall,  John  M'Gonigall,  Dennis 
M'Gonigall.) 

Suburbs.-  -Protestant  families,  137  ;  Papist  families,  12.  (D. 
M'Dade,  Roger  Guinn,  Michael  O'Kane,  Thomas  Hurling,  Pat 
Kelly,  Hugh  MuUan,  John  Rider,  Archy  M'llargy,  Randall 
M'Donnell,  John  Hail,  Francis  Hurling,  Pat  Doherty.) 

Parish. — Protestant  families,  151  ;  Papist  families,  8.  (John 
Murphy,    James    M'Aber,    Nogher    O'Hagan,    Edward    Doherty, 


Richard    Flanagan,    James     M'Areavy,    Col     M'Donnell,     Robert 
Marshall  )— Signed,  Burk  Cuppage,  Rector,  April  2nd,  1766. 


I  have  given  the  Ccleraine  list  of  Catholics  at  full  length,  ou 
account  of  its  importance  in  connection  with  the  evidence  of  the 
Rev.  Richard  Curoe  (see  p.  237),  in  which,  he  states  that  Dr.  Hugh 
M'MuUan,  at  the  interview  with  Dr.  M'Davitte,  Bishop  of  Derry, 
and  Administrator  of  Dromore,  requested  the  Bishop  of  Derry  to  take 
charge  of  Coleraine,  but  "hoped  that  before  seven  years.  Bally- 
money,  Ooleraine,  and  the  surrounding  districts,  would  be  able  to 
support  a  priest."  The  Catholics  in  those  districts  were  more 
numerous  than  Dr,  M'Mullan  was  aware  of.  The  civil  parishes, 
which,  from  1834  till  1848,  constituted  the  Catholic  parish  of 
Coleraine,  had,  in  1766,  no  less  than  117  Catholic  families,  which 
with  servants,  and  other  individuals,  not  reckoned  families,  must 
have  amounted  to  700  persons.  Catholic  families  in  Coleraine,  31  ; 
Kildollagh,  8  ;  Ballyaghran,  5  ;  Ballywillin  and  Ballyrashane,  5  ; 
Dunluce,  32 ;  Billy,  36— in  all  117  ;  while  Ballymoney  had  60 
Catholic  families,  and  Derrykeighan  had  12,  which  with  servants 
must  have  amounted  to  an  additional  400.  There  were,  therefore, 
in  the  parishes,  referred  to  by  the  Bishop,  between  1,100  and  1,200 
Catholics,  even  in  1766.  The  Rev.  R.  Curoe  stated  that  the 
interview  occurred  in  1784,  and  afterwards  corrected  himself,  stating 
that  it  occurred  in  1779.  The  latter  seems  the  true  date.  The 
administration  of  Dromore  devolved  on  Dr.  M'Davitte,  by  the 
incapacity  of  Dr.  Brady,  whose  successor  in  the  see  of  Dromore  (Dr. 
Lennan),  was  elected  "per  mortem  Brady"  by  the  Propaganda, 
November  27th,  1780.  Father  Curoe  was  at  that  time  of  the 
interview  Parish  Priest  of  Ballykinlar.  from  which  he  was  appointed 
to  Kilmore,  January  12th,  1780.  It  is  evident  that  the  Parish  Priest 
of  Killowen  did  not  officiate  in  Coleraine  in  1743  ;  for  \Yilliam 
Jackson,  the  High  Sheriff  for  that  year,  writes  to  the  Chief  Secretary 
(see  Letter  at  p.  243),  that  John  BroUaghan,  and  his  curate,  "one 
Duffy,"  officiated  in  certain  parishes,  which  he  mentions  ;  and  they 
are  those  in  which,  to  this  day,  Father  O'Brien,  P.P.,  Killowen,  and 
his  curates  officiate.  Had  Father  BroUaghan  officiated  inColeraine, 
Jackson,  who  resided  in  Jackson  Hall,  Coleraine,  must  have  known 
of  it ;  and,  as  the  importance  of  the  town  would  have  increased  the 
oflence  of  Father  BroUaghan,  the  Sheriff  would  have  taken  special 
care   to  mention  it  in  his  letter  to  the  Chief  Secretary. 


APPENDIX.  XXXI. 

The  following  changes  have  occurred  in  the  diucese  since 
the  publication  of  Vol.  III.  : — 

Parish  of  Upper  Mourne. — The  Rev.  George  Maguire, 
P.P.,  died  March  3rd,  1885;  his  remains  were  interred  in 
front  of  the  altar  of  the  new  church  which  he  erected.  He 
was  succeeded  by  the  Rev,  Richard  Marner,  D.D.,  P.P., 
Dunsford  and  Ardglass  (see  Vol.  I.  p.  186),  who  was  ap- 
point3d  March  11th,  1885,  but  did  not  remove  to  Upper 
Mourne  until  July  of  that  year. 

Parish  of  Bryansford,  or  Maghera. — The  Rev.  Hugh 
Hanna,  P.P.,  died,  June  13th,  1885;  his  remains  were 
interred  in  the  cemetery  attached  to  the  church  of  Bryans- 
ford.  Over  his  grave  is  erected  a  Celtic  cross  of  white 
marble,  on  the  pedestal  of  which  is  inscribed — 

Pray  for  the  soul  of 

The  Rev.  Hugh  Ranna, 

loho  was  Parish  Priest  of  this  Parish 

from  1845  till  his  death, 

June  Uth,  1885. 

May  lie  rest  in  yeace.     Amen. 

The  Rev.  Edward  Waterson,  P.P.,  Dunloy  and  Cloughmills 
(see  p.  65),  was  appointed  to  the  vacant  parish  on  the  15th 
of  June,  1885. 

Parish  of  Kilmegan. — The  new  church  of  Castlewellan, 
erected  by  Father  M' Williams  from  designs  by  Mortimer 
H.  Thomson,  Esq.,  Architect,  is  built  in  the  early  style  of 
Gothic  architecture.  The  edifice  is  of  local  granite  with 
chiselled  granite  dressings,  and  consists  of  nave,  aisles, 
sanctuary,  baptistry,  and  sacristy,  with  entrance  porches  and 
organ  gallery.  It  is  situated  on  the  site  of  the  old  church 
in  the   Square.      The   spire,  which   proudly  rises  amid  the 


XXXll.  APPENDIX. 

buildings  of  the  pretty  village  of  Castle wellan  to  the  height 
of  170  feet,  can  be  seen  distinctly  over  a  great  portion  of 
the  county.  At  the  spring  of  the  spire  are  four  octagonal 
turrets  ;  and  the  spire  is  decorated  with  Lucerne  lights  and 
bands  of  various  ornamental  shades.  On  the  front  of  the 
nave  an  octagonal  turret  rises  80  feet  above  the  main 
building.  The  ridge  of  the  nave  is  60  feet  in  height.  In 
the  gable  are  entrance  doors,  with  a  three-light  pointed 
window  above  the  arches.  The  length  of  the  nave  is  about 
100  feet  by  28  feet  in  width.  The  arches  are  each  about  12 
feet  wide  and  rise  to  the  height  of  30  feet.  The  aisles  are 
lighted  with  double  lancet  windows  piercing  the  walls 
between  the  buttresses.  The  cinque-foil  wheel  windows 
which  light  the  clere-storey  contribute  much  to  render  the 
edifice  extremely  picturesque.  The  side  chapels  and  baptistry 
are  also  lighted  by  wheel  windows  of  a  similar  but  larger 
type.  The  sanctuary  which  rises  to  the  same  height  as  the 
nave  is  apsidal,  and  is  27  feet  wide  by  28  feet  in  length,  and 
lighted  by  double-light  pointed  windows.  An  arcade  of 
moulded  red  stone  arches,  carried  on  polished  bhie  granite 
columns  with  foliated  carved  caps  and  moulded  bases, 
divides  the  nave,  on  each  side,  from  the  aisles.  The  entrance 
porch  is  also  separated  from  the  nave  by  a  similar  arcade. 
The  windows  of  the  sanctuary  are  of  stained  glass  in  the 
best  style  of  Messrs.  Early  &  Powell's  pictorial  represen- 
tations, and  are  in  memory  of  the  Messrs.  Mooney, 
benefactors  of  the  church.  All  the  other  windows  are  filled 
with  cathedral  glass  tinted  in  different  shades  and  set 
in  leads.  The  altars  are  constructed  of  Caen  stone, 
with  polished  marble  shafts,  moulded  bases  and  carved 
capitals.  The  various  panels  are  carved  with  scriptural 
subjects — on   the   high  altar  the  subjects  are   "  The   Last 


Supper,"  and  in  the  reredos  "The  Sacrifice  of  Melchizedek," 
and  "The  Sacrifice  by  Abraham  of  his  son  Isaac,"  On  the 
Virgin's  Altar  "  The  death  of  the  Blessed  Virgin."  In  the 
niche  is  a  life-sized  statue  of  the  Virgin,  while  the  reredos 
is  sculptured  with  the  Annunciation  and  the  Visitation. 
On  the  altar  of  St.  Joseph  the  subjects  are  "The  Death  of 
St.  Joseph,"  "  The  Nativity,"  and  "  The  Marriage."  A  life- 
sized  statue  of  St.  Joseph  occupies  the  niche.  The  steps  are 
white  marble  and  the  flooring  is  overlaid  with  encaustic 
tiling.  The  altar  rail  is  of  white  marble,  with  coloured 
marble  shafts  and  carved  caps.  The  roof  of  the  nave  is  of 
varnished  ])itch-pine,  and  consists  of  moulded  and  pointed 
arched  ribs,  which  rest  on  columns  of  red  sandstone  with 
carved  foliated  capitals.  Between  the  great  ribs,  the  roof  is 
divided  into  panels  by  moulded  ribs.  The  pulpit  was 
executed  by  Pearse  &  Sharpe  for  the  Dublin  Exhibition, 
and  was  afterwards  purchased  for  this  church.  It  is  of 
white  marble,  with  coloured  marble  shafts  and  various  other 
enrichments.  Much  of  the  beauty  and  adornments  of  this 
edifice  were  provided  by  the  donations  and  bequests  of  the 
Messrs.  Mooney  Brothers,  Merchants,  of  Castlewellan.  The 
church  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Dorrian  on  the  7th  of 
September,  1884. 

High  Mass  was  celebrated  by  Rev.  James  Crickaid,  P.P., 
Loughinisland  ;  Rev.  Thomas  O'Donnell  was  deacon,  and  the 
Rev.  John  M'Cartan  sub-deacon.  The  sermon  was  preached 
from  Isaias,  chapter  vii.,  verses  13  and  i4.  by  Father  Flood, 
O.P.  Father  M 'Williams  announced  that  he  had  received  at 
the  collection  £819  4s.  9d.,  which,  together  with  <£600  that 
he  had  collected  since  the  dedication  was  advertised,  made  a 
total  of  .£1,419  4s.  9d.     He  also  mentioned  that  the  church 

was  free  of  debt,  except  a  few  hundred  pounds. 

2  p 


Parish  of  Drumaroad. — The  Rev.  Joha  M^Court,  P.P., 
Drumaroad  (see  Vol.  I.  p.  70),  died  April  29th,  1884  ; 
his  remains  were  interred  in  the  cemetery  of  Drumaroad 
Church, 

The  Rev.  Bernard  M'Kenna  succeeded  to  the  vacant 
parish.  He  was  born  in  Tullyherron,  parish  of  Maghera, 
Co.  Derry,  on  the  17th  February,  1845  ;  studied  classics  in 
Tergarvel ;  entered  the  class  of  rhetoric  in  the  College  of 
Car  low,  September  1st,  1864;  was  ordained  in  St,  Malachy's 
Church,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  on  the  1st  Sunday  of 
November,  1870;  was  appointed  curate  of  Newtownards  in 
November,  1870  ;  appointed  curate  of  St.  Patrick's,  Belfast, 
August  1st,  1873  ;  appointed  curate  of  Saul,  August  1st, 
1874;  appointed  curate  of  Kilcoo,  February  1st,  1875; 
appointed  parish  priest  of  Drumaroad,  August  1st,  1884. 

Parish  of  Ballykinlar  and  Dund.rum. — Church  of  the 
Sacred  Heart,  Dundrum. — Father  M'Keating  procured  from 
the  trustees  of  Lord  Downshire  the  site,  and  commenced  the 
erection,  which  his  successor.  Father  O'Hara,  completed. 
The  church,  which  is  situate  on  an  eminence  at  the  east-end 
of  the  village,  overlooking  the  railway  and  the  inner  bay,  is  a 
beautiful  structure  of  the  early  Gothic  style.  It  was  erected 
from  plans  of  Alexander  M'Alister,  Esq.,  Architect,  Bel- 
fast, It  contributes  greatly  to  the  appearance  of  Dundrum, 
and  is  much  admired  by  tourists  for  its  graceful  propoi'tions. 
It  was  dedicated  on  the  11th  May,  1884,  by  Dr.  Dorrian. 
High  Mass  (coram  Pontifice )  was  celebrated  by  the  Rev. 
Robert  Crickard  ;  the  Rev.  Patrick  Conway  was  deacon, 
the  Rev,  James  M'llvenny  sub-deacon,  Rev.  G.  Brennan 
master  of  ceremonies.  The  Lord  Bishop  preached,  taking 
for  his  text  the  3rd  verse  of  the  12th  chapter  of  Isaias. 
Upwards   of   forty  '  priests  were  present.      The    collection 


amounted  to  £885  10s.  Od.,  which  included  what  had  been 
contributed  since  the  dedication  had  been  announced  in  the 
newspapers.  Father  O'Hara,  in  returning  thanks,  said — 
"Up  to  this  the  Catholics  of  Dundrum  had  neither  church 
nor  schools;  they  had  been  necessitated  to  assemble  for 
Mass  in  the  upper  room  of  a  store,  and  to  use  the  other 
rooms  of  the  store  for  schools.  Now,  however,  the  grounds 
on  which  the  church  stands  has  been  granted  for  999  years 
by  the  Downshire  family,  and  the  kindness  of  the  clergy 
and  people  has  enabled  us  to  erect  both  church  and  schools." 
Parish  of  Bright.— The  Church  of  Killough,  erected  by 
the  Rev.  Richard  MMuUan  in  1828,  was  a  substantial,  and 
for  that  time  even  a  beautiful  structure  ;  but  the  recent 
development  of  ecclesiology  exhibited  its  many  deficiencies. 
Father  Brennan  entrusted  the  alterations  to  Alexander 
M'Alister,  Esq.,  Architect,  Belfast,  who,  by  alterations,  has 
converted  it  into  a  beautiful  church.  These  alterations  were 
the  addition  of  a  chancel,  sacristy,  oi'gan-gallei-y,  porch,  and 
belfry,  together  with  sheeting  the  interior  of  the  roof  in  panels 
with  pitch  pine,  and  adding  massive^beams  and  suspenders 
of  the  same  beautiful  wood.  The  high  Taltar  is  chiefly  of 
Caen  stone,  relieved  by  coloured  marble  shafts  and  inlaid 
spar  bulbs.  The  table  of  the  altar,  the  tops  of  the  candle- 
benches  and  credence  tables  are  of  marble.  The  front  of  the 
high  altar  is  divided  into  three  panels  :  the  central  and 
largest  panel  is  filled  with  the  Pieta,  or  dead  Christ,  and  His 
afflicted  Mother;  while  the  smaller  panels  have  adoring  angels. 
The  tabernacle,  the  brass  door  of  which  is  richly  engraved 
and  decorated,  is  surmounted  by  a  high  canopy  which  termi- 
nates in  a  crocketted  spire  and  foliated  cross.  The  reredos 
is  filled  with  two  groups  of  figures,  one  of  which  represents 
the  Nativity,  and  the  other  the  Resurrection.     At  each  end 


of  the  reredos  is  a  niche;  in  one  is  the  statue  of  St,  Patrick, 
and  in  the  other  that  of  St.  Brigid,  under  crocketted  canopies, 
supported  on  columns  of  marble.  The  side  altars,  dedicated 
respectively  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  Joseph,  ai-e  of  the 
same  materials  and  style  as  the  high  altar.  The  cost  of  the 
alterations  was  over  £800.  The  church  was  re-dedicated, 
under  the  invocation  of  St.  Joseph,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  on  the 
6th  of  July,  1884.  After  High  Mass  his  Lordship  preached 
from  the  Gospel  according  to  St.  Matthew,  chap,  xv.,  verse 
13.     The  collection  amounted  to  ,£621  16s. 

The  old  chapel  of  Bossglass  (erected  in  1780),  weather- 
beaten  by  the  sea  blasts  of  a  century,  and  partly  wrecked  by 
the  storm  of  the  26th  of  January,  1884,  was  re-arranged  and 
renewed  by  Father  Brennan.  This  renovated  church  was 
also  re-dedicated  by  Dr.  Dorrian  on  8th  of  July,  1884,  under 
the  invocation  of  St.- Mary  Star  of  the  Sea. 

Parish  of  Dunsford  and  Ardglass. — The  Rev.  Richard 
Marner,  D.D.,  P.P.,*  having  been  appointed  to  the  parish  of 
Upper  Mourne,  the  Rev.  Edward  Connor,  P.P.,  Kilmore, 
was  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Dunsford  and  Ardglass,  on 
the  9th  April,  1885,  after  a  few  days,  however,  he  declined 
to  accept  the  parish,  and  it  was  conferred  on  Father 
Crawford. 

The  Rev.  Edward  Crawford  was  born  in  Killough,  in  the 
year  1844;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College;  entered  the 
Rhetoric  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  in  1866  :  was 
ordained  in  the  Diocesan  College  by  Doctor  Dorrian, 
February,  1872  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Loughinisland, 
in  March,  1872  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Kilmoi-e,  in   Augupt, 

*Dr.  Marner  almost  rebuilt  the  Church  of  Ardglass,  and  added  to 
t  a  chancel  and  porch  ;  he  also  re-arranged  and  ornamented  the  Church 
of  Dunsford. 


1872 ;  appointed  Curate  of  St.  Patrick's,  Belfast,  Atigust, 
1875  ;  appointed  Administrator  of  St.  Patrick's,  Avigust  1st, 
1883 ;  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Dunsford  and  Ardglass, 
in  June,  1885, 

Parish  of  Down. — Grangicani — 'Crooked  Grange'  seems 
to  have  belonged  to  the  Priory  of  St.  John's  (see  vol.  I. 
p.  258),  the  site  of  which  is  occupied  by  the  Ebenezer  Chapel, 
near  John  Street,  Downpatrick.  The  site  of  the  Chapel  of  the 
Grange  was  lately  shown  to  me.  It  was  in  a  field  in  the  farm 
of  Hugh  Teggart.  The  field  adjoins  Bally  strew,  and  is 
approached  from  the  race-course  by  a  pathway  leading  across 
ths  field,  which  is  on  the  Downpatrick  side  of  an  out  farm- 
house belonging  to  George  Russell,  Esq.,  J. P.  The  chapel  of 
Grangicam  seems  to  have  occupied  the  summit  of  a  little 
hill  in  Mr.  Teggart's  field,  where  indications  of  interments 
seem  more  numerous ;  but  stone-lined  graves  are  found 
everywhere  through  the  field  and  even  in  the  field  that 
adjoins  it  on  the  south  side. 

Parish  of  Ardkeen. — The  Bev.  Felix  M'Keating  (see  vol. 
I.  p.  135),  who  succeeded  Father  John  M'Aviley,  in  February, 
1881,  died  September  9th,  1885  j  his  remains  were  interred 
outside  the  church  of  St.  Joseph,  Ballycranbeg. 

The  Rev.  Peter  M'Evoy  was  appointed  to  the  vacant 
parish.  He  was  born  in  Ballydrummond,  parish  of  Drum- 
gooland,  February  29th,  1849 ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
Seminary  of  Dromore  (Yiolet  Hill) ;  entered  the  class  of 
Logic  in  the  College  of  Soissons  (France),  September,  1867  ; 
was  ordained  in  the  Diocesan  Seminary  of  Dromore,  by 
Dr.  Leahy,  September  22nd,  1872;  was  appointed  Curate 
of  Lurgan,  September,  1872;  was  appointed  Curate  of 
Cushendall,  July,  1873;  appointed  Curate  of  Down,  February 
19th,  1876;  appointed  Curate  of  St.  Joseph's,  Belfast,  August 


1st,  1884;  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Ardkeen,  September 
21st,  1886. 

Parish  of  Newtownards  and  Bangor. — The  Rev,  Patrick 
M'Convey,  P.P.,  is  at  present  engaged  in  erecting,  from 
plans  by  M.  H.  Thomson,  Esq.,  Architect,  a  very  beautiful 
church  on  the  grounds  of  the  old  church  of  Bangor,  erected 
in  1851,  which  it  is  to  replace,  in  order  that  the  old  church 
may  be  converted  into  schools.  The  new  church  will 
probably  be  dedicated  this  (1887)  summer. 

Parish  of  Holywood. — The  interior  decorations  of  the 
parish  church  are  now  nearly  completed.  The  chancel  has 
been  decorated  in  a  very  superior  style  by  Mr.  Beean,  Artist, 
London,  who  introduced  much  of  the  ancient  Celtic  orna- 
mentation. Ribbon  bands  carried  round  the  windows  of 
the  chancel  and  under  the  carved  string  course,  which  runs 
round  the  chancel  on  a  level  with  the  windows  of  the  nave, 
bear  verses  from  the  ancient  Hiberno-Latin  hymn  Sancti 
Venite,  written  in  honour  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and 
contained  in  the  Antiphonary  of  Bangor  and  the  Liber 
Hymnorum.  Mr.  Beean  painted  in  each  of  the  panels  of 
the  reredos  a  full-sized  figure  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary, 
St.  Columbkille  with  Irish  crozier  and  bell,  and  of  each  of 
the  Evangelists  with  his  appropriate  emblem.  He  also 
painted  in  outline,  over  the  chancel  arch  and  facing  the  nave, 
the  Crucifixion,  with  several  groups  of  figures  connected 
with  that  greatest  event,  which  fill  the  entire  tympanum  of 
the  arch.  The  panels  of  the  chancel  roof  are  decorated  with 
stars  in  gold  on  a  blue  ground,  The  great  corbels  have  been 
carved  into  figures,  the  two  within  the  chancel  represent 
angels ;  on  a  scroll  borne  by  one  is  Sanctus  Columha,  the 
patron  of  the  church,  and  on  that  borne  by  the  other  is 
Sanctus  Laiseranus,  the  patron  of  the  ancient  church  of 


Holywood,  now  in  ruins.  The  corbels  in  the  nave  are 
carved  into  busts,  each  ot  which  represents  some  saint 
connected  with  the  ancient  churches  of  Down  and  Connor  ; 
and  under  each  bust  is  inscribed  the  name  of  the  saint,  that 


St.  dnlumbki lie's,  3§oli}bDOol). 

the  great  servants  of  God  may  not  be  forgotten  in  the  scenes 
of  their  good  deeds.  These  saints  are  Patrick,  Brigid, 
Macnissius,  Malachy,  Mochai  of  Lough  Strangford,  Comgall 
of  Bangor,  Finian  of  Moville,  Colman-Ela  of  Muckamore, 


Xl.  APPENDIX. 

and  Columbamis  and  Gall,  the  great  missionaries  from  Bangor. 
Most  ot  the  decollations  have  been  made  as  memorials  at 
the  expense  of  individual  parishioners.  The  ornamental 
brazen  gates  of  the  sanctuary,  designed  in  the  style  of  the 
shrine  v/ork  in  the  Royal  Irish  Academy,  bear  the  inscrip- 
tion— Orate  pro  anima  Michaelis  JPIIugli  qui  obiit  die  32 
Decenibris,  1885.  The  Stations  of  the  Cross,  by  Mayer  of 
Munieh,  were  presented  by  the  late  Miss  Donnelly.  On  the 
14th  Station  is  inscribed — Pray  for  the  soul  of  Robert 
Donnelly.  0  Lord  have  mercy  on  him.  May  he  rest  in 
peace.  Amen.  The  stained  glass,  with  which  nearly  all  the 
windows  are  filled,  was  also  presented  by  individuals.  The 
large  window  in  the  sanctuary,  representing  "  The  Last 
Suppei',"  cost  £150,  and  was  presented  in  honour  of  the 
Blessed  Sacrament  by  an  anonymous  donor.  The  first 
window  in  the  nave,  on  the  south  side,  representing  the 
Annunciation,  has  under  it  inscribed — Hinry  Murney  died 
15th  Ajjril,  1873,  aged  85  years,  Isabella  Murney  died  8th 
January,  1885,  aged  60  years.  May  they  rest  in  peace. 
(  Erected  by  their  children).  The  second  window,  representing 
the  Visitation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  to  St.  Elizabeth,  has 
inscribed  under  it — Bernard  Hughes,  of  Toronto,  died  A.D. 
1848,  aged  60  years.  Ann  Hughes,  his  wife,  ditd  A.D.  1877, 
aged  70  years.  Sweet  Jesus  have  m-'^rcy  on  them.  May  they 
rest  in  p)eace.  Amen.  The  third  window,  representing  the 
Nativity,  has  the  following  inscription — Bernard  Hughes,  of 
Belfast,  died  A.D.  1878,  aged  69  years.  Jane  Hughes,  his 
wife,  died  A.D.  1847,  aged  48  years.  Have  mercy  on  them, 
O  Lord  May  they  rest  in  peace.  Amen.  The  fourth 
window,  representing  the  Presentation  of  the  Infant  Jesus 
in  the  Temple,  has  this  inscription — Catharine  (Donnelly ) 
Crawford,   died   Feb.    '27th,    1880.       Mary    Donnelly,    died 


APPENDIX.  xli. 

March  \ltli,  1881.  Have  mercy  on  them,  0  Lord.  May 
they  rest  in  peace.  Amen.  On  the  north  side  )  the  first 
window,  representing  the  Coronation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Mary,  has  the  inscription — Pray  for  the  soul  of  Essy 
MacMullan,  died  20th  August,  1871.  Underneath  the  second 
window,  which  represents  the  Death  of  the  Blessed  Vii'gin 
Mary,  is — Pray  for  the  soul  of  Robert  Read,  Catholic 
Publisher,  died  April  28th,  1877  ;  also  for  the  soul  of  Daniel 
Read,  Catholic  Publisher,  died  December  I2th,  1881.  Under 
the  third  window,  which  represents  the  Descent  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  is — Pray  for  the  soul  of  Mary  (toife  of  Edward 
M'Hugh)  who  died  2Zrd  July,  1876,  aged  60  years  ;  also 
for  her  daughter  Mary  (M'JIngh)  Donnelly,  who  died  8th 
December,  1884.  The  cost  of  each  of  these  windows  was  £75, 
Few  Church  of  St.  Matthew,  Ballymacarrett. — The  old 
church  of  St.  Matthew,  Ballymacarrett,  erected  in  1831, 
being  wholly  inadequate  to  atlord  accommodation  to  the 
increased  Catholic  population,  the  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Dorrian 
was  for  a  long  time  striving  to  obtain  a  suitable  site  for  a 
church.  Dr.  Ritchie,  a  Protestant  gentleman,  through 
respect  for  the  memory  of  the  late  Father  Killen,  obtained 
from  Lord  Templemore  two  acres  of  land  along  the  Nsw- 
townards  Road  and  adjoining  the  old  church,  at  the  annual 
rent  of  £15  17s.  6d.  per  acre,  though  the  rent  of  land  on  the 
other  side  of  the  road  was  £36  per  acre.  On  that  site  the 
church  was  erected,  from  designs  of  Alexander  M'Alister, 
Esq.,  Architect,  Belfast,  by  Mr.  John  M'Elhatton,  Builder, 
Cookstown.  It  is  in  the  early  decorated  style  of  Gothic 
architecture,  and  its  dimensions  are,  exteriorly,  133  feet  by 
70.  It  consists  of  a  nave,  ending  in  an  absidal  chancel,  and 
two  aisles  terminating  in  chapels  at  their  eastern  ends. 
The  nave  is  divided  from  each  aisle  by  five  cut  stone  arches 


Xlii.  APPENDIX. 

supported  on  polished  red  granite  columns,  having  octagonal 
bases  and  richly  carved  capitals,  with  double  columns  at  the 
chancel  end  of  the  same  material.  The  roof  is  open  timbered 
and  divided  into  panels  by  moulded  ribs,  the  principal  trusses 
being  supported  by  ornamental  wall-posts  resting  on  carved 
corbels,  and  the  panels  are  sheeted  diagonally.  The  High 
Altar  is  executed  in  Caen  stone  by  Mr.  J.  W.  O'Neill,  Sculptor, 
Dublin,  who  has  also  executed  a  carved  pulpit  of  the  same 
material.  The  side  altars,  also  of  Caen  stone,  were  erected  by 
Messrs.  Pearse  &  Sharpe,  Dublin.  The  baptistry  which  is 
in  the  south  porch  is  semi-octagonal  in  plan,  and  has  a  white 
marble  font  of  chaste  and  elegant  design.  There  are  three 
entrance  doors  at  the  west  end,  approached  by  broad  granite 
steps  and  landings,  having  deeply  recessed  jambs  in  three 
orders,  with  red  stone  columns  and  carved  capitals  supporting 
deeply  moulded  arches ;  these  doors  open  into  spacious 
porches.  Over  the  central  door  is  a  wrought  niche  with 
richly  carved  corbel  and  canopy  for  a  statue  of  St.  Matthew. 
On  each  side  of  the  niche  is  a  traceried  window,  and  high 
above  these  is  a  rose- window.  The  chancel  has  also  traceried 
windows,  and  the  side  chapels  rose-windows.  These,  with 
the  aisle  and  clerestory  windows,  are  filled  with  lead  lights 
in  diamond  quarries  of  cathedral  glass  in  various  tints,  with 
margins  of  rtiby  glass.  The  tower  and  spire  rise  to  a  height 
of  170  feet,  and  on  the  spire  is  a  galvanized  wrought-iron 
finial  cross  12  feet  high.  The  tower  is  ornamented  with 
arcades  at  each  of  the  four  sides,  having  red  stone  columns 
and  carved  capitals ;  and  the  bell-chamber  is  fitted  with 
louvres  of  Welsh  slate,  secured  to  muUions  having  columns 
with  carved  capitals  on  the  outside  faces.  In  the  tower  is  a 
rich-toned  bell,  weighing  over  two  tons,  which  was  manu- 
factured bv  Mr.   Sheridan  of  Dublin.       The  grounds   are 


APPENDIX.  xliii. 

enclosed  by  a  massive  granite  plinth  and  wrought-iron  gate 
piers,  which,  together  with  the  gates  and  ornamental 
wrought-iron  railing  which  is  erected  on  the  plinth,  were 
manufactured  by  Mr.  Alfred  Webb,  of  Ballymacarrett.  The 
church  was  dedicated  on  the  24th  of  June,  1883,  by  Dr. 
Dorrian,  assisted  by  the  Primate,  Dr.  M'Gettigan  ;  the 
Archbishop  of  Tuam,  Dr,  MacEvilly  ;  the  Bishop  of  Raphoe, 
Dr.  Logue  j  the  Bishop  of  Meath,  Dr.  Nulty ;  the  Bishop 
of  Killala,  Dr,  Conway ;  the  Bishop  of  Clonfert,  Dr. 
Duggan:  the  Bishop  of  Achonry,  Dr.  M'Cormick ;  and 
the  Bishop  of  Clougher,  Dr.  Donnelly.  High  Mass  was 
celebrated  by  the  Archbishop  of  Tuam,  the  Rev.  J.  M'llvennv 
officiated  as  deacon,  the  Rev.  R.  Smyth  as  sub-deacon,  and 
the  Rev.  J.  M'Ardle  as  master  of  ceremonies.  His  Grace, 
the  Lord  Primate,  preached,  taking  for  his  text  from  the 
8th  chapter  of  St.  Luke.  At  four  o'clock  Pontifical  Vespers 
■were  celebrated  by  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Clogher,  after  which 
the  Lord  Bishop  of  Achonry  preached  from  the  fifteenth 
verse  of  the  first  chapter  of  St,  Luke.  The  collections  at 
Mass  and  Vespers  amounted  to  about  £1,500,  Unfortu- 
nately, however,  the  church  is  still  burthened  by  a  very 
heavy  debt. 

Parish  of  Belfast. — The  new  church  of  St.  Paul,  Falls 
Road,  erected  by  the  late  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Dorrian,  from 
designs  by  John  M'Donnell,  Esq.,  Architect,  is  almost 
completed,  and  will  be  dedicated  probably  before  this  volume 
reaches  the  public. 

&t.  Peter's  Church,  Belfast. — The  windows  within  the 
chancel  have  been  filled  with  stained  glass ;  two  of  these 
were  erected  by  Mr.  Constantine  O'Neill,  Falls  Road,  in 
memory  of  his  brother;  Mrs.  Kinney,  of  Durham  Street, 
erected  one  in  memory  of  her  husband  ;  and  two  others  have 


xliv.  APPENDIX. 

been  erected  by  the  Sociality  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  The 
handsome  Stations  of  the  Cross  are  the  gifts  of  individuals. 
Within  the  sanctuary  are  two  life-sized  statues  of  St.  Peter 
and  St,  Paul,  presented  by  Mrs.  Murphy,  one  in  memory  of 
her  mother,  Mrs.  Jane  Aickin,  and  the  other  in  memory  of 
the  Rev.  William  Martin,  P.P.,  Duneane.  Two  similar 
statues,  also  within  the  sanctuary — one  in  honour  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  of  our  Lord,  and  the  other  representing  St. 
Joseph — were  presented  by  Mr.  Edward  M'Hugh,  Jun,, 
Rosemary  Street.  The  magnificent  new  organ,  which  cost 
about  £1,400,  was  opened  on  the  1st  of  April,  1883,  when 
Father  Burke,  the  great  preacher  of  the  Dominican  Order, 
preached,  and  the  collection  amounted  to  £1,500.  This 
success  emboldened  Father  Convery  to  undertake  a  work  of 
much  greater  difiiculty — the  completion  of  the  towers. 
These  two  towers,  22  feet  square,  clear  of  the  buttresses,  are 
now  crowned  by  graceful  spires  that  lift  their  gilded  terminal 
crosses  to  the  height  of  205  feet  above  the  high  ground  on 
which  St.  Peter's  stands;  and  from  their  spacious  bell-chambers 
rings  a  peal  of  ten  bells  in  tones  of  exquisite  harmony. 
Nine  of  these  form  chimes,  the  respective  weights  ©f  which 
are,  36  cwt.,  30  cwt.,  25  cwt.,  21  cwt.,  17  cwt.,  15  cwt ,  13 
cwt.,  11  cwt.,  and  7 J  cwt.;  the  tenth  weighs  3  tons.  The 
chimes  are  played  automatically  by  a  Carillon  machine 
constructed  to  play  48  tunes  on  the  nine  bells  ;  some  of  these 
are  played  at  6  a.m,,  12  noon,  6  p.m.,  and  9  p.m.  of  each 
day  ;  and  a  self-acting  machine  changes  at  midnight  the  tunes 
for  the  following  day  ;  21  of  these  tunes  are  sacred  and  28 
secular.  Attached  to  the  machine  is  an  ivory  key-board,  the 
same  as  that  of  a  pianoforte,  so  that  any  musician  can  play 
tunes  on  the  bells  by  the  fingers  as  easily  as  upon  an  organ. 
The  towers  were  erected  from  plans  by  M.  H.  Thomson, 


APPENDIX.  xlv. 

Esq.,  Architect ;  they  and  their  bells  were  completed  in 
August,  1885. 

Parish  of  Drummaul. — The  Rev.  John  M'Grahan,  P.P., 
died  August  10th,  1884,  and  was  interred  in  the  graveyard 
attached  to  his  church  in  Randalstown.  Over  the  gi-ave 
stands  a  granite  cross  on  which  is  inscribed — 

Of  your  charity 

Pray /or  the  haiopy  re2)ose  of 

The  Rev.  John  M'Grahaii,  P.P. 

Randalstown, 

Who  died  lOth  August,  1884. 

Aged  66  years. 

Requiescat  in  Pace. 

The  Rev.  Hugh  M'Gorrian  succeeded  to  the  vacant  parish. 
He  was  born  in  the  townland  of  Ballykinlar,  April  2nd, 
1845  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  Class  of 
Rhetoric  in  the  College  of  Maynooth  in  March  1864  ;  was 
ordained  in  St.  Peter's  Church,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrran  in 
July,  1869  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Newtownards,  August 
1st,  1869  ;  appointed  Curate  of  St.  Patrick's,  Belfast,  in 
May,  1871 3  appointed  Administrator  of  St.  Joseph's,  Belfast, 
in  March,  1882;  appointed  Parish  Priest  of  Drummaul  in 
September,  1884. 

Parish  of  Ahoghill. — The  Rev.  Alexander  Stuart,  P.P., 
having  solicited  the  Bishop  for  permission  to  resign  the 
parish  and  to  be  appointed  to  a  curacy,  was  appointed 
curate  of  Cushendall,  February,  1887.  The  vacant  parish 
was  conferred  on  the  Rev,  John  M'Shane. 

Father  M'Shane  was  born  in  Ballysallagh,  parish  of 
Glenravel,  November  2nd,  1846;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College;  entered  the  class  of  1st  year's   Theology   in   the 


xlvi.  APPENDIX. 

College  of  Maynooth,  September  2nd,  1875;  was  ordained 
in  Sb.  Peter's,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  March  25th,  1877; 
■was  appointed  curate  of  Dunsford,  April  5th,  1877  ; 
appointed  curate  of  Kilmore,  August  1st,  1878  ;  appointed 
curate  of  St.  Joseph's,  Belfast,  January,  1879;  appointed 
curate  of  St.  Patrick's,  Belfast,  February,  1882  ;  appointed 
parish  priest  of  Ahoghill,  March  30th,  1887. 

Parish  of  Dunloy  and  Clouglimilh. — The  Rev.  Edward 
Waterson,  P.P.  (see  p.  65),  was  appointed  parish  priest  of 
Bryansford,  or  Maghera,  June  15fch,  1885,  and  the  vacant 
parish  was  conferred  on  the  Rev.  Robert  John  Russell. 

Father  Russell  was  born  in  Clougher,  parish  of  Down, 
March  14th,  1848  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered 
the  class  of  rhetoric  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  January 
15th,  1866  ;  was  ordained  in  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  by  Dr. 
Dorrian,  on  the  3rd  Sunday  of  September,  1870;  was 
appointed  curate  of  Upper  Mourne,  October  10th,  1870 ; 
appointed  curate  of  Saul  in  1871  ;  appointed  curate  of 
Glenavy  in  1875;  appointed  curate  of  Derryaghey  in  1878; 
appointed  curate  of  Glenravel  in  1881  ;  appointed  parish 
priest  of  Dunloy  and  Cloughmills  in  June,  1885. 

Parish  of  Ramoan. — This  parish  became  vacant  by  the 
elevation  of  the  Most  Rev.  Dr.  M'Alister  to  the  See  of 
Down  and  Connor,  and  as  the  vacancy  had  been  created  by 
the  Pope,  to  his  Holiness  alone,  according  to  the  Canon 
Law,  belonged  the  right  of  filling  the  vacancy.  His  Lord- 
ship presented  the  Rev.  John  Conway,  Dean  of  the  Diocesan 
College. 

Father  Conway  was  born  in  Tehorney,  parish  of 
Rasharkin,  July  13th,  1850;  entered  the  Diocesan  College, 
January  16th,  1866  ;  entered  the  class  of  1st  year's 
Philoso;)hy  in^the  College  of  Maynooth,  August  25fch,  1869  ; 


APPENDIX.  Xlvii. 

was  ordained  in  St.  Malachy's  Church,  Belfast,  by  Dr. 
Dorrian,  July  26th,  1873  ;  was  appointed  curate  of  Lough- 
inisland,  August  3rd,  1873  ;  appointed  curate  of  Kilmegan, 
October  5th,  1874  ;  appointed  curate  of  Ramoan,  November 
14th,  1874;  appointed  Dean  of  the  Diocesan  College, 
August  Ist,  1876  ;  appointed  parish  priest  of  Ramoan,  22nd 
March,  1887. 

The  dates  of  the  ordinations  and  missions  of  the  following 
priests  of  Down  and  Connor  have  not  been  given  in  any  of 
the  pai-ochial  histories  contained  in  these  volumes.  They  are 
here  entered  in  alphabetical  order  : — 

COLLEGE    OF    MAYNOOTH. 

Rev.  Charles  Macauley,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Glenarm  in 
February,  1830  ;  studied  Classics  in  Glenarm,  Downpatrick, 
and  afterwards  in  the  Diocesan  College ;  entered  the  Logic 
Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  August  25fch,  1847  ;  was 
elected  to  the  Dunboyne  Establishment  in  June,  1853  ;  was 
appointed  to  the  Chair  of  Rhetoric  in  the  College  of  May- 
nooth, October  19th,  1854;  was  ordained  in  St.  Teresa's, 
Clarendon  Street,  Dublin,  by  Dr.  Whelan,  Bishop  of 
Aurelianopolis  and  Yicar  Apostolic  of  Bombay,  Nov.  18th, 
1854  ;  was  appointed  to  the  Chair  of  Sacred  Scriptures  and 
Hebrew  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  June  25th,  1878. 

Rev.  Daniel  O'Loan  was  born  in  Carrow-cowan,  in 
Glenravel,  Nov.  4th,  1855  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College; 
entered  the  Class  of  2nd  year's  Philosophy  in  the  College 
of  Maynooth  September  11th,  1880;  was  ordained  in 
Maynooth  by  Dr.  Donnelly,  Bishop  of  Canea,  June  29th, 
1884;  appointed  Curate  of  Aghagallon,  August  1st,  1884; 
ai)pointed  Curate  of  Ramoan,  May  8th,  1886  ;  elected  Dean 
of  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September  7th,  1886. 


xlviii.  APPENDIX. 

ST.  MALACHY'S  DIOCESAN  COLLEGE,  BELFAST. 

Very  Rev.  Henry  Henry,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Carnbuck, 
parish  of  Loughguile,  May  22nd,  1847  ;  studied  Classics 
under  Rev.  Henry  M'Laughlin,  P,P.,  Loughguile,  and 
afterwards  in  the  Diocesan  College ;  entered  the  Logic 
Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1865  ;  was 
ordained  in  Maynooth  by  Dr.  Quinn,  Bishop  of  Bathurst, 
at  Pentecost,  1870  ;  was  appointed  Professor  in  the  Diocesan 
College  in  September,  1870  ;  was  appointed  President  of  the 
Diocesan  College  in  May,  1876  (bee  p.  440). 

Rev.  Henry  Boyle  was  born  in  Belfast,  August  22nd,  1858; 
studied  in  the  Diocesan  College;  entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth  in  1874  ;  was  appointed  Professor  in 
the  Diocesan  College  in  July,  1880;  was  ordained  in  Belfast  by 
Dr.  Dorrian  on  Easter  Saturday,  1881  ;  was  appointed 
Curate  of  Duneane  in  August,  1883  ;  was  appointed  Pro- 
fessor in  the  Diocesan  College  in  August,  1885. 

Rev.  Henry  Laverty  was  born  in  Ballynamullan,  parish 
of  Duneane,  November  24th,  1854  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College ;  entered  the  Class  of  Theology  in  the  University  of 
Lou  vain,  October  6th,  1875  ;  was  appointed  Professor  in 
the  Diocesan  College,  September  1st,  1878  ;  was  ordained  in 
the  Diocesan  College  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  September  21st,  1878. 

Rev.  John  M'Alister  was  born  in  Irishomerbane,  in  the 
civil  parish  of  Dunaghy,  May  1st,  1850  ;  studied  in  the 
Diocesan  College  ;  commenced  his  theological  studies  in  the 
College  of  Namur,  Belgium,  in  1877  ;  finished  his  course 
of  Theology  in  the  University  of  Louvain  ;  was  ordained  in 
St.  Patrick's,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  November,  6th,  1881 ; 
was  appointed  Curate  of  Saintfield,  November  6th,  1881  ; 
appointed    Curate   of  Lisburn   in    May,    1882  ;    appointed 


APPENDIX.  xlix. 

Curate  of  Larne  in  July,  1885  ;  was  appointed  Dean  of  tho 
Diocesan  College,  April  13th,  1887. 

Rev.  John  Tohill  was  born  in  Gortmacrane,  parish  of 
Tamlaght-O'Crilly,  December  23rd,  1855  ;  studied  Classics 
in  Tergarvil,  and  afterwards  in  the  Diocesan  College ; 
entered  the  Class  of  1st  year's  Theology  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  September  21st,  1875  ;  was  appointed  Professor 
in  the  Diocesan  College,  September  1st,  1878  ;  was  ordained 
in  the  Diocesan  College  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  September  22nd, 
1878  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Dunsford,  March,  1880;  was 
ap|)ointed  Professor  in  the  Diocesan  College,  April,  1881. 


Rev.  Daniel  M'Cashin  was  born  in  Corbally,  parish  of 
Down,  June  I5th,  1846;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College; 
entei-ed  the  Class  of  1st  year's  Philosophy  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  August  25th,  1869  ;  was  ordained  in  the  Diocesan 
College  by  Dr.  Dorrian  on  the  first  Sunday  of  October-,  1872  ; 
was  appointed  Professor  in  the  Diocesan  College,  October, 
1872 ;  appointed  Diocesan  Inspector  of  Schools,  October 
28th,  1878;  appointed  Secretary  to  the  Bishop,  in  April,  1887. 

Rev.  Michael  Laverty  was  born  in  Killyfad,  parish  of 
Duneane,  October  23rd,  1859  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College ;  entered  the  Class  of  Logic  in  the  College  of  May- 
nooth, September  7th,  1881;  was  ordained  in  Maynooth  by 
Dr.  Walsh,  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  June  24th,  1886  ;  was 
appointed  Curate  of  Maghera,  Co.  Down,  June  26th,  1886  ; 
appointed  Diocesan  Inspector  of  Schools,  April  13th,  1887. 

PRIESTS  OFFICIATINC  IN  THE  PARISHES. 
Rev.  H.  Beatson,  C.C.,  St.  Joseph's,  Belfast  (see  p.  395). 
Rev.  W.  J.  Boylan  was  born  in  Ballymatoskerty,  parish 
of  Duneane,  in   the   year   1859  ;    studied  in   the  Diocesan 

2q 


1.  APPENDIX. 

College ;  entered  2nd  Class  of  Philosophy  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  September,  1880  ;  was  ordained  in  Maynooth  by 
Dr.  Donnelly,  Bishop  of  Canea,  June  29th,  1884j  was 
appointed  Curate  of  Loughinisland  in  July,  1884. 

Rev.  Eugene  Brady  was  born  in  Stradone,  parish  of 
Laragh,  Co.  Cavan,  in  May,  1850  ;  studied  in  St.  Augustine's 
Seminary,  Cavan  ;  entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of 
Carlow  in  September,  1870  ;  was  ordained  by  Dr.  Dorrian 
in  St.  Malachy's,  Belfast,  June  24th,  1875  ;  was  appointed 
Curate  of  Dunloy,  August.  1875  ;  Curate  of  Duneane,  April, 
1877  ;  Curate  of  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  March,  1883  ;  Curate 
of  Glenavy,  August,  1883. 

Rev.  Joseph  Y.  Burns  was  born  in  Damolly,  parish  of 
Newry,  May  20th,  1861  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College, 
Belfast ;  entered  2nd  years'  Philosophy  Class  in  the  Irish 
College,  Paris,  September  22nd,  1880;  was  ordained  in 
Maynooth  by  Dr.  Donnelly,  Bishop  of  Canea,  June  29th, 
1884  j  was  appointed  Curate  of  Lower  Mourne,  August  1st, 
1884. 

Rev.  John  Campbell  was  born  in  Toome,  parish  of 
Duneane,  June  30th,  1854,  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College, 
entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  in 
September,  1856  ;  was  ordained  in  the  Diocesan  College  by 
Dr.  Dorrian,  February  13th,  1881  ;  appointed  Curate  of 
Kilmore,  March  1st,  1881  ;  Curate  of  Upper  Mourne, 
August  1st,  1885. 

Rev.  Patrick  Convery  was  born  in  Killelagh,  parish  of 
Maghera,  Co.  Derry,  September  3rd,  1846  ;  studied  classics 
in  Tergarvil,  Co.  Derry,  and  afterwards  in  the  Diocesan 
College,  Belfast ;  entered  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  August  25th,  1867  ;  was  ordained  in  St.  Peter's, 
Belfast,  by  Di\   Dorrian,  February  2nd,   1871  ;    appointed 


APPENDIX.  •    ]i. 

Curate  of  Bright,  February  8th,  1871,  Curate  of  Upper 
Mourne,  October  3rd,  1871  ;  Curate  of  Lisburn,  February 
5th,  1873;  Curate  of  St.  Joseph's,  Belfast,  August  1st, 
1874;  Administrator  of  St.  Joseph's,  October  3rd,  1878; 
Administrator  of  St.  Peter's,  February  26th,  1882. 

Rev.  Robert  Crickard  was  born  in  the  town! and  of 
Saul,  March  7th,  1850  ;  studied  Classics  in  the  High  School, 
Downpatrick,  and  afterwards  in  the  Diocesan  College;  entered 
the  Rhetoric  Classin  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September  9th, 
1866;  was  ordained  in  St.  Malachy's  College,  by  Dr.  Dorrian, 
on  3rd  Sunday  of  Advent,  1872;  appointed  Curate  of  Lough- 
guile,  in  January,  1873;  Curate  of  Dunloy,  July  6th,  1873; 
Curate  of  St.  Malachy's,  and  Chaplain  of  Belfast  Workhouse, 
August  1st,  1874;  Curate  of  St.  Peter's,  August  1st,  1878  ; 
Curate  of  St.  Patrick's,  November  1st,  1879  ;  Administrator 
of  St,  Patrick's,  July  6th.  1885. 

Rev.  George  Crolly  was  born  in  Ballyrolly,  parish  of  Down, 
in  August,  1860;  studied  in  the  High  School,  Downpatrick, 
and  afterwards  in  the  Diocesan  College ;  entered  2nd  Class 
of  Philosophy,  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  in  September, 
1877  ;  was  ordained  in  the  Diocesan  College,  by  Dr.  Dorrian, 
March  24th,  1883;  appointed  Curate  of  Kilmore,  in  August, 
1883;  Curate  of  Lisburn,  in  August,  1885. 

Rev.  Patrick  Darragh  was  boi-n  in  Mill  Ian,  parish  of 
Kilrea,  March  5th,  1854  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ; 
entered  the  2nd  Class  of  Philosophy,  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  September,  1879  ;  was  ordained  in  Maynooth, 
by  Dr.  Donnelly,  Bishop  of  Canea,  July  8th,  1883  : 
appointed  Curate  of  Antrim,  August  1st,  1883;  Curate  of 
Ballymena,  May  1st,  1886. 

Rev.  John  Donnelly,  C.C,  Kilmore.  (Query  Sheet  not 
returned.) 


Hi.  APPENDIX. 

Rev.  John  Eardley  was  born  in  Belfast,  March  17th, 
1863;  studied  in  St,  M'Cartan's  Seminary,  Monaghan ; 
entered  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September, 
1880;  was  ordained  in  Diocesan  College,  Belfast,  by  Dr. 
M'A.lister,  Easter  Sunday,  1886  ;  appointed  Curate  t-f 
Newtownards,  May  8th,  1886. 

Bev.  Bernard  Falloona,  C.C.,  Ballymacarrett.  (see  p.  394.) 
was  appointed  Curate  of  St.  Patrick's,  Belfast,  May  10th, 
1887. 

Rev.  Patrick  Farrelly,  Administrator,  St.  Matthews, 
Ballymacarrett.  (see  vol.  iii.  p.  208). 

Rev.  John  P.  Greene,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Malahide,  Co. 
Dublin,  September  3rd,  1843;  studied  in  the  R.  Academical 
Institution,  and  afterwards  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered 
the  Logic  Class  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September, 
1863  ;  was  ordained  in  Maynooth  by  Cardinal  Cullen, 
Penticost,  1867  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Newtownards,  in  July, 
1867;  Curate  of  Glenarm,  in  December,  1867;  Professor  in 
Diocesan  College  in  January,  1869  ;  Curate  of  Duneane  in 
September,  1870;  Curate  of  Ballymena,  July,  1st,  1871; 
Curate  of  St.  Peter's,  July  1st,  1873  ;  Curate  of  St.  Mary's 
in  1875  ;  Administrator  of  St.  Mary's,  December  26th,  1878; 
Administrator  of  St.  Malachy's,  March,  1st,  1881. 

Rev.  James  Green,  was  born  in  Maghereagh,  parish  of 
Lower  Mourne,  in  April,  1859  ;  .studied  in  the  Diocesan 
Colle2;e ;  entered  Class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the 
Irish  College,  Paris,  September,  1878;  was  ordained  in  the 
Diocesan  College,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  in  July,  1882  ; 
appointed  Curate  of  Glenavy,  July,  1882;  Curate  of 
Aughagallon,  July,  1883;  Curate  of  Portglenone,  July, 
1884;  Curate  of  Castle  wellan,  April,  1886. 

Rev.  Robert  J.  Headley,  C.C.  Down,  (see  p.  395.) 


APPENDIX.  liii. 

Rev.  Francis  C.  Henry  was  born  in  Ballymacarrett,  on 
September  15th,  1862;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College; 
entered  the  class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy,  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  September  7th,  1881  ;  was  ordained  in  the 
Diocesan  College,  by  Dr.  M'Alister,  April  25th,  1886 ; 
appointed  Curate  of  Antrim,  April  28thj  1886. 

Rev.  John  Kavanagh,  Chaplain  of  the  Convent  of  the 
Sisters  of  Nazareth,  Ballynafeigh.  (Query  Sheet  not 
returned.) 

Rev.  William  Keane  was  born  in  Barradnff,  parish  of 
Ballydonohoe,  Co.  Kerry,  December  25th,  1859  ;  studied  in 
St.  Brendan's  Seminary,  Killarney  ;  entered  the  Rhetoric 
Class,  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  January  15th,  1880 ;  was 
ordained  in  Maynooth,  by  Dr.  Walsh,  Archbishop  of  Dublin, 
January  20th,  1886  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Rasharkin, 
November  8th,  1886. 

Rev.  James  Kennedy  was  born  in  Ardglass,  October  8th, 
1852  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  Class  of 
Natural  Philosophy,  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  August, 
1872  ;  was  ordained  in  St.  Malachy's  Church,  Belfast,  by  Dr. 
Dorrian,  February  2nd,  1876  ;  was  ai^pointed  Curate  of 
Randalstown,  February  19th,  1876;  Curate  of  Ballymena, 
August  5th,  1878;  Curate  of  Duneane,  April  19th,  1882; 
Curate  of  St.  Malachy's,  August  5th,  1883. 

Rev.  James  Lennon  was  born  in  Belfast,  in  1858  ;  studied 
in  the  Diocesan  College,  entered  the  Class  of  2nd  years' 
Philosophy,  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  in  September,  1880; 
was  ordained  in  Maynooth,  by  Dr.  Carr,  Archbishop  of 
Melbourne,  July  6th,  1884 ;  was  appointed  Curate  of 
Rasharkin,  August  1st,  1884  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Duneane, 
August  1st,  1885. 

Rev.    Patrick    Magill    was     born    in     Tober,    parish    of 


liv.  APPENDIX. 

Loughguile,  June  29th,  1860;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College; 
entered  the  Class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy,  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  September  8th,  1881 ;  was  oi-dained  in  Maynooth 
by  Dr.  Logue,  Bishop  of  Raphoe,  July  8th,  1885  ;  appointed 
Curate  of  Kilmore,  July  22nd,  1885. 

Rev.  James  Moore  was  born  in  Ballytrustan,  parish  of 
Bailee,  January  28th,  1852;  studied  Classics  in  Down- 
patrick,  and  afterwards  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the 
Class  of  1st  year's  Theology,  in  the  College  of  Maynooth, 
September,  1875  ;  was  ordaine  i  in  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  by 
Dr.  Dorrian,  March  25th,  1877  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of 
Antrim,  May  1st,  1877;  Curate  of  Culfeightrim,  August  1st, 
1878;  appointed  Curate  of  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  May 
1st,  1882. 

Rev.  Robert  James  Murphy  was  born  in  Erinagh,  Parish 
of  Bright,  April  22nd,  1856;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  Col- 
lege ;  entered  the  Class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1877  ;  was  ordained  in  the 
Diocesan  College,  August  24th,  1880,  by  Dr.  Dorrian; 
appointed  Curate  of  Ramoan,  September  1st,  1880 ;  ap- 
})ointed  Curate  of  Randalstown,  August  1st,  1885;  appointed 
Curate  of  Lisburn,  May  1st,  1886. 

Rev.  William  Murphy  was  born  in  Castletown-Bere,  Co. 
Cork,  in  1861  ;  studied  in  St.  Brendan's  Seminary, 
Killarney;  entered  the  Class  of  1st  yeai-'s  Philosophy, 
in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1880;  was  ordained 
in  Maynooth  by  Dr.  Walsh,  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  in 
June,  1886;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Ramoan  in  October 
22nd,  1886, 

Rev.  Daniel  M'Alister  was  born  in  Tullyree,  parish  of 
Kilcoo,  March  10th,  1857;  studied  classics  in  Newcastle 
on-Tyne,  and  afterwards  in  the    Diocesan    College  ;  entered 


APPENDIX.  Iv. 

the  Class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the  College  of  May- 
nooth,  September,  1879 ;  was  ordained  in  the  Diocesan 
College  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  February  2nd,  1883;  was  appointed 
Curate  of  Newtownards,  February  10th,  1883  ;  was 
appointed  Professor  in  the  Diocesan  College,  July,  1883  ; 
appointed  Curate  of  Rasharkin,  July,  1 885 ;  appointed 
Curate  of  Kilkeel,  November  10th,  188G. 

Rev.  James  M'Ardle  was  born  in  the  town  of  Keady, 
County  Armagh,  April  Gtb,  1849  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
Colleges  of  Armagh  and  Belfast  ;  entered  the  Logic  Class  in 
the  College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1868;  was  ordained 
in  the  Diocesan  College,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  on  Rosary  Sunday, 
1872 ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Antrim,  October,  1872 ; 
appointed  Curate  of  Ramoan,  August,  1873;  appointed 
Curate  of  St.  Malachy's,  Belfast,  November,  1874 ;  Curate 
of  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  August,  1883. 

Rev,  Hugh  Macauley  was  born  in  Belfast,  January  14th, 
1855  ;  studied  Classics  in  the  College  of  Clongowes  Wood, 
and  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  Class  of  1st  year's 
Theology  in  the  College  of  Maynooth  in  September,  1877  ; 
was  ordained  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Dominican  Convent, 
Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian.  February  2nd,  1879;  was  appointed 
Professor  in  the  Diocesan  College,  February,  1879;  was 
appointed  Curate  of  Bright,  August,  1881  ;  was  appointed 
Professor  in  the  Diocesan  College,  October,  1882;  was  ap- 
pointed Curate  of  Whitehouse,  May  10th,  1887. 

Rev.  Francis  M'Bride  was  born  in  Greenan,  Parish  of 
Culfeightrin,  May  12th,  1857  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College;  entered'the  Class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  September  8th,  1876;  was  ordained 
in  the  Diocesan  College,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  February  13th, 
1881  ;    was  appointed  Curate    of  Randalstown,  March   1st, 


Ivi.  APPENDIX. 

1881  ;   appointed    Curate    of    St.    Malachy's,    Belfast,    and 
Chaplain  to  the  Belfast  Workhouse,  November  1st,  1884. 

Rev.  Michael  M'Cabe  was  born  in  Lecharry,  Parish  of 
Crosserlough,  County  Cavan,  July  6th,  1848  ;  studied  in 
the  Diocesan  Seminary,  Cavan  ;  entered  the  Rhetoric  Class 
in  the  College  of  Carlov,  September,  1871;  was  ordained 
in  St.  Malachy's,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  February  2nd, 
1876  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Cushendall,  February  14tb, 
1876;  appointed  Curate  of  St.  Peter's,  Belfast;  February 
25th,  1882. 

Rev,  Peter  M'Cabe  was  born  in  Rafenny,  Parish  of 
Mullagh,  County  Cavan,  June  2nd,  1848  ;  studied  in  the 
Diocesan  Seminary,  Cavan  ;  entered  the  Class  of  1st  year's 
Theology  in  the  College  of  Waterford,  September,  1869  ; 
was  ordained  in  the  Diocesan  College,  Belfast,  by  Dr. 
Dorrian,  on  Rosary  Sunday,  1872;  was  appointed  Curate 
of  Kilmore  on  the  following  day  ;  appointed  Curate  of 
Glenarm,  November,  1873 ;  appointed  Curate  of  Port- 
glenone,  June  1874 ;  appointed  Curate  of  Dunsford, 
December,  1874 ;  appointed  Curate  of  Bangor,  August, 
1875  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Randalstown,  April,  1886. 

Rev.  Patrick  M'Cambridge  was  born  in  Ranaghan,  Parish 
of  Duneane,  January,  1852  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College;  entered  the  Logic  Class  in  the  Irish  College,  Paris; 
was  ordained  in  the  Irish  College,  by  Dr.  Fitzgerald,  Bishop 
of  Ross,  June  20th,  1878;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Antrim, 
July  27th,  1878;  appointed  Curate  of  Ballykinlar,  February 
23rd,  1881  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Dunsford,  July  25th, 
1885. 

Rev.  Bernard  M'Cann  was  born  in  Ballynalena,  Parish  of 
Duneane,  February  19th,  1849  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College  ;  entered  the   Class  of   1st  year's  Theology  in  the 


APPENDIX.  Ivii. 

College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1872:  was  ordained  in 
Maynooth  by  Dr.  M'Cormac,  June,  1874  ;  appointed  Curate 
of  Ca&tlewellan,  July,  1874 ;  appointed  Chaplain  to  the 
Belfast  Workhouse,  July,  1878;  appointed  Curate  of  Saul, 
May,  1879  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Ballymena,  April,  1882  ; 
appointed  Curate  of  Kircubbin,  April,  1886;  appointed 
Curate  of  Armoy,  October  22nd,  1886. 

Rev.  Bernard  M'Cartan  was  born  in  Tyconnett,  parish  of 
Loughinisland,  April  12th,  1851  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College;  entered  the  class  of  1st  year's  Theology  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1871 ;  was  ordained  in  St. 
Malachy's  Church,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  November  1st, 
1874  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Portaferry,  November,  1874; 
appointed  Curate  of  Glenavy,  September,  1877  ;  appointed 
Curate  of  Lisburn,  February,  1882;  appointed  Curate  of 
Ballymena,  May,  1886. 

Rev.  John  M'Cartan  was  born  in  Castlewellan,  February 
21st,  1855  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the 
Class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the  Irish  College,  Rome, 
October  24th,  1877;  attended  classes  in  the  Propaganda; 
was  ordained  Sub-Deacon  in  the  church  of  St.  John  Lateran 
by  Cardinal  Monaco  La-Valetta,  Bishop  of  Albano  and 
Grand  Penitentiary;  ordained  Deacon  by  Dr.  Kirby, 
Archbishop  of  Ephesus  ;  ordained  Priest  in  the  church  of 
La  Trinita  de  Monti  by  Archbishop  Lenti  Vicegerent  of 
Rome,  October  30th,  1881  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Cushendall, 
February  26th,  1882;  appointed  Curate  of  St  Patrick's 
Belfast,  August  1st,  1883. 

Rev.  William  M'Cartan  was  born  in  Ballymagenaghy, 
parish  of  Gargary,  diocese  of  Dromore,  March  21st,  1862; 
studied  in  the  Diocesan  Seminary  of  Dromore  (Violet  Hill)  ; 
entered  the  Class  of  Logic  in  the  Irish  College,  Rome,  May 


Iviii.  APPENDIX. 

12th,  1879;  was  ordained  in  the  church  of  St.  John  Lateran, 
by  Cardinal  Parocchi,  Archbishop  of  Bologna,  March  21st, 
1885  ;  «'as  appointed  Curate  of  Dunloy,  August  1st,  1885. 

Rev.  William  M'Court  was  born  in  Moneyglass,  parish  of 
Duneane,  April,  1858;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College; 
entered  the  Class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  September  1878;  was  ordained  in  the  Diocesan 
College  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  April,  1882  ;  appointed  Curate  of 
Loughguile,  21st  April,  1882  ;  Curate  of  Portaferry,  August 
1st,  1885. 

Rev.  John  M'Donnell,  C.C,  St.  Patrick's,  Belfast  (Query 
Sheet  not  returned). 

Rev.  Daniel  M'Donnell  was  born  in  Ballybrack,  pai-ish  of 
Layd  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  Class 
of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the  College  of  Maynooth, 
September,  1876  ;  was  ordained  in'  St.  Malachj's  Church* 
Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  Api'il  15th,  1879;  was  appointed 
Curate  of  Lai-ne,  April  17th,  1879  ;  Curate  of  Whitehouse, 
1st  August,  1885;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Ballymacarrett, 
May  10th,  1887. 

Rev.  Patrick  M' Erlane,  wasborninCrockaghara  (Turreagh) 
parish  of  Armoy,  December,  1859  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College ;  entered  the  Class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1879  ;  was  ordained  in  the 
Diocesan  College  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  February  2nd,  1883;  was 
appointed  Curate  of  Bright,  February  2nd,  1883. 

Rev.  Bernard  M'Garry  was  born  in  Ballynewport,  parish 
of  Bright,  November  3rd,  1858  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College  ;  entered  the  Class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1877  ;  was  ordained  in  St. 
Patrick's,  Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  November  6th,  1881  ; 
was  appointed  Curate  of  Aghagallon,  November  6th,  1881  ; 


APPENDIX.  Hx. 

appointed    Curate   of  Kilclief,   February,    1882  ;  appointed 
Curate  of  Kilcoo,  July,  1884. 

Rev.  Patrick  M'Gee  was   born  in    Bally  organ,  parish  of 
Kilclief,   February    21st,    1848;    studied    at    the  Diocesan 
College  ;  entered  the  Class  of  Rhetoric  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  August  25th   1867;  was  ordained  in  Maynooth, 
by    Dr.    Conroy,   Bishop    of    Ardagh,    June    20th,    1873 
appointed    Curate    of    Newtownards,    August    2nd,    1873 
appointed   Curate    of   Lower   Mourne,   August  1st,   1875 
appointed     Curate    of    Lisburn,     November    25th,     1877 
appointed  Curate  of  St.  Mary's,  Belfast,  January  17th,  1879 
appointed  Curate  of  St.  Peter's  Belfast,  February,  22nd,  1882 

Rev.  Hugh  M'Grach  was  born  in  Belfast,  March  31st,  1862 
studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  Class  of  2nd 
years'  Philosophy  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September, 
1881  ;  was  ordained  in  Maynooth,  by  Dr.  Carr,  June  29th, 
1885;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Ballymoney,  August  1st, 
1885. 

Rev.  John  M'Kenna  was  boi-n  in  Drinn,  parish  of 
Dromara,  February  1st,  1854  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
Seminary  of  Dromore  (Violet  Hill) ;  entered  the  CIa.ss  of 
Humanity  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September  8th,  1871  ; 
was  ordained  in  Maynooth,  by  Cardinal  M'Cabe,  June  24th, 
1878  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Bright,  August  3rd,  1878  ; 
appointed  Curate  of  Portaferry,  September  1st,  1881  ; 
Curate  of  Loughguile,  August  1st,  1885;  Curate  of 
Glenarm,  January  14th,  1886. 

Rev.  John  Joseph  M'Kinley  was  born  in  Ballymaconley, 
parish  of  Rashaikin,  February  23rd,  1860  ;  studied  in  the 
Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  Class  of  2Dd  years'  Philosophy 
in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1879  ;  was  ordained 
in  Maynooth,  by    Dr.   Logue,    Bishop   of  Raphoe,  July  1st, 


Ix.  APPENDIX. 

1883  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Loughinisland,  July,  1883  ; 
appointed  Curate  of  Kilclicf,  August  1st,  1884. 

K-ev.  James  M'llvenny  was  born  in  Newtownards, 
in  1850  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  Class 
of  1st  year's  Theology  in  the  College  of  Maynooth, 
September,  1872 ;  was  ordained  in  Maynooth,  by  Dr. 
M'Cormac,  in  June,  1874  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Kilcoo, 
August,  1874;  appointed  Curate  of  Saul,  February,  1875  ; 
Curate  of  St.  Malachy's,  May,  1879. 

The  Kev.  John  Nolan  was  born  in  Quoile,  parish  of  Saul, 
on  the  20th  of  September,  1860;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College ;  entered  the  class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  September  6th,  1881  ;  was  ordained 
in  Maynooth  by  Dr.  Carr,  June  29ch,  1885;  was  appointed 
July  25th,  1885,  Curate  of  Ballycastle  (which  parish  he 
administered  from  the  consecration  of  Dr.  M'Alister,  till 
the  appointment  of  Father  Conway);  appointed  Curate  of 
Larne,  April  13th,  1887. 

Rev.  Henry  O'Boyle  was  born  in  Staffordstown,  parish  of 
Duneane,  December  8th,  1856 ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College;  entered  the  class  of  1st  year's  Theology  in  the  Irish 
College,  Paris,  September  21st,  1877  ;  was  ordained  in  the 
Diocesan  College  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  February  13th,  1881  ; 
was  appointed  Curate  of  Dunloy,  November  6th,  1881 ; 
appointed  Curate  of  Down,  August  1st,  1885. 

Rev.  Morgan  Joseph  O'Brien  was  born  in  Bally verigan. 
Parish  of  Youghal,  Co.  Cork,  June  llth,  1849;  studied  in 
Midleton,  Youghal,  and  in  the  College  of  Fermoy ;  entered 
the  class  of  Theology  in  the  Collegium  Theologorimi,  Uni- 
versity of  Louvain  ;  was  ordained  in  Queenstown  by  Dr. 
M'Carthy,  May  27th,  1875  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Lis 
burn,  June,  1875;  Curate   of   St   Mary's,  Belfast,  August, 


APPENDIX.  Ixi. 

1875  ;    Curate  of  Upper  Mourne,  November  1879  ;  Curate 
of  Ballymena,  August   1st,  1883;   Curate   of   Aughagallon, 

May,  1886. 

Rev.  Joseph  O'Conuor  was  born  in  Ballywalter,  parish  of 
Bailee,  1844;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College;  entered  the 
class  of  Logic  in  the  College  of  St.  John's,  Waterford,  in 
1866  ;  was  ordained  in  St.  John's  College  by  Dr.  Lanigan, 
Bishop  of  Goulburn,  Australia,  in  1870;  was  appointed 
Curate  of  Bailee  in  1870;  appointed  Curate  of  Kilchief, 
in  October,  1870  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Ballykinlar,  August 
1st,  1873  ;  appointed  Curate  of  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  in  1874  ; 
appointed  Curate  of  Ballykinlar  in  1879;  appointed 
Curate  of  St.  Mary's,  Belfast,  in  1880  ;  appointed  Adminis- 
trator of  St.  Mary's,  Belfast,  in  1881. 

The  Rev.  Patrick  O'Connor  was  born  in  ToUumgrange, 
Parish  of  Dunsford,  April  ^Sth,  1861  ;  studied  in  the 
Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the  class  of  Logic  in  the  College 
of  Maynooth,  September  3rd,  1880  ;  was  ordained  in  May- 
nooth  by  Dr.  Logue,  July  7th,  1885  ;  was  appointed  Curate 
of  Ballykinlar,  August  1st,  1885. 

Rev.  Thomas  O'Donnell  was  born  in  Castlewellan,  July 
12th,  1853 ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College  ;  entered  the 
class  of  Rhetoric  in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  August  25th, 
1869  ;  was  ordained  in  Maynooth  by  Dr.  MacEvilly,  June 
26th,  1876  ;  was  appointed  Professor  in  the  Diocesan  College, 
June  29th  1876;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Ballynioney, 
December  27th,  1878;  appointed  Curate  of  Ballymena,  April 
22nd,  1882;  appointed  Curate  of  Kilkeel,  August  3rd,  1883; 
appointed  Curate  of  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  November  llth, 
1886. 

Rev.  Joseph  O'Kane  was  born  in  Swateragh,  Parish  of 
Maghera,    County    Derry,    in    1858 ;    studied    Classics   in 


Ixii.  APPENDIX. 

Tirgarvel,  and  afterwards  in  the  Diocesan  College,  Belfast ; 
entered  the  class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  September,  1876  ;  was  ordained  in  the  Diocesan 
College  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  April  11th,  1882  ;  was  appointed 
Curate  of  Ballymoney,  April  15th,  1882  ;  appointed  Curate 
of  Derryaghy,  August  1st,  1885. 

The  Eev.  M.  O'Keane  was  born  in  Ballygrennan,  Parish 
of  Listowel,  Co.  Kerry,  October  15  th,  1858  ;  studied  in  the 
Diocesan  Seminary  of  Killarney;  entered  the  Rhetoric  Class 
in  the  College  of  Maynooth  September  8th,  1879;  was 
ordained  in  Maynooth  by  Dr.  Walsh,  Archbishop  of  Dublin, 
June  20th,  1886  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Saul,  October 
22nd,  1886. 

Rev.  James  O'Neill,  C.C,  St.  Patrick's,  Belfast  (see 
p.  395.) 

Rev.  Daniel  O'Reilly  was  born  in  Cleggan,  Parish  of 
Lurgan  (Virginia),  Co.  Cavan,  November  17th,  1851  ; 
studied  in  the  Diocesan  Seminary,  Cavan  ;  entered  the  class 
of  Logic  in  the  College  of  Carlo w,  September,  1870;  was 
ordained  in  St.  Malachy's  Church,  Belfast,  June  24tb,  1875, 
by  Dr.  Dorrian  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Kilmore,  August 
1st,  1875  ;  appointed  Curate  of  St.  Joseph's,  Belfast, 
March,  1881  ;  appointed  Curate  of  St.  Mary's,  Belfast, 
August  1st,  1884. 

Rev.  James  O'SuUivan  was  bomi  in  Kenmare,  Co.  Kerry, 
September  24th,  1862  ;  studied  in  St.  Brendan's  College, 
Killarney;  entered  the  class  of  Logic  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  November  15th,  1880;  was  ordained  in  May- 
nooth by  Dr.  Walsh,  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  June  20th, 
1886  ;  was  appointed  Curate  of  Kircubbin,  October  22nd 
1886. 

Rev.    Eugene   Owens   was   born   January    6th,    1843,   in 


Lurgananure,  parish  of  Killinkere,  Co.  Cavan  ;  studied  in 
the  Diocesan  Seminary,  Cavan  ;  entered  the  Class  of  Logic 
in  the  College  of  Carlow,  1867  ;  was  ordained  in  Cavan  by 
Dr  Conaty,  March  17th,  1873;  was  appointed  Curate  of 
Duneane,  May  1st,  1873;  appointed  Curate  of  Ballymoney, 
November  1st,  1874  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Derryaghy,  April, 
1877 ;  appointed  Curate  of  Aghagallon,  September  8th, 
1877;  appointed   Curate  of  St.    Mary's,  Belfast,   May  1st, 

1881  ;  appointed  Administrator  of  St.  Joseph's,  Belfast, 
November  1st,  1884. 

Rev.  Alexander  Quinn  was  horn  in  Castlewellan  in 
1 849  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College,  Belfast ;  entered  the 
Class  of  1st  year's  Theology  in  the  College  of  Maynooth, 
September,  1875;  was  ordained  in  St.  Peter's,  Belfast,  by 
Dr.  Dorrian,  March  25th,  1877;  appointed  Curate  of  Bally- 
money in  1877  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Ballymena,  December 
25th,   1878  ;  appointed  Curate  of  Ballymacarrett  in  April, 

1882  ;  Curate  of  St.  Malachy's,  Belfast,  August  1st,  1885. 
Rev.  Edward  Quinn  was  born  in  Caherty,  parish  of  Bally- 

clug,  September,  1857;  studied  in  the  Diocesan  College; 
entered  the  Class  of  Logic  in  the  College  of  Maynooth, 
October,  1879  ;  was  ordained  in  Maynooth  by  Dr.  Carr, 
Bishop  of  Galway  and  Kilmacduagh,  July  6th,  1884;  was 
appointed  Curate  of  Culfeightrin,  August  1st,  1884. 

Rev.  John  Quinn  was  born  in  Creggan,  parish  of  Drum- 
maul,  November  19th,  1846;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College ;  entered  the  Class  of  2ud  years'  Philosophy  in  the 
College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1879  ;  was  ordained  in 
the  Diocesan  College  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  July  25th,  1882  ;  was 
appointed  Curate  of  Whitehouse,  August  6th,  1882  ; 
a}  pointed  Curate  of  Kircubbin,  August  1st,  1885  ;  appointed 
Curate  of  Loughguile,  Januaiy  15th,  1886. 


Ixiv.  APPENDIX. 

Rev.  Maurice  Sheehan,  Chaplain  of  the  Convent  of  the 
Sisters  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  Ballynafeigh.  (Query  Sheet 
not  returned.) 

Rev.  Richard  Smyth  was  born  in  Ballytrustan,  Parish  of 
Portaferry,  August  3rd,  1853  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College  ;  entered  the  Class  of  Logic  in  the  College  of  May- 
nooth,  August,  1872;  was  ordained  in  St.  Malachy's  Church, 
Belfast,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  August  10th,  1876;  was  appointed 
Curate  of  Ra>noan,  August,  1876  ;  appointed  Curate  of  St. 
Malachy's,  Belfast,  May  1st,  1879  ;  Curate  of  St.  Mary's, 
Belfast,  August  1st,  1883. 

Rev,  Richard  Storey  was  born  in  Drumsough,  Parish  of 
Drummaul,  July  4th,  1857 ;  studied  at  the  Diocesan  College; 
entered  the  Class  of  2nd  years'  Philosophy,  in  the  College  of 
Maynooth,  September,  1879  ;  was  ordained  in  the  Diocesan 
College,  by  Dr.  Dorrian,  in  July,  1882  ;  was  appointed 
Curate  of  Culfeightrin,  August  1st,  1882  ;  appointed  Curate 
of  Cushendall,  March  21st,  1884. 

Rev.  Andrew  Tully  was  born  in  the  City  of  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  America,  in  1860  ;  studied  in  the  Diocesan 
College,  Belfast;  entered  the  Class  of  1st  year's  Philosophy 
in  the  College  of  Maynooth,  September,  1881  ;  was  ordained 
in  Maynooth,  by  Dr.  Logue,  June,  1885  ;  was  appointed 
Curate  of  Newtownards,  August  1st,  1885. 


INDEX 


Aghagallon,  Parish  of,  ix,  xxvii. 

Aghaleck,  427. 

Aghalee,  Parish  of,  viii. 

Ahoghill,  xxviii,  xlv. 

Aenach  Cross,  124. 

Aenach  Tuaighe,  229. 

Aghaboy,  584. 

Alcrossagh,  450. 

Altagore,  523. 

Altaveedan, 

Anticur,  60. 

Antrim,  Earl  of,  33,  44 — Ac- 
cused of  protecting  priests, 
33— Has  a  son  a  priest,  34,  36. 

Araboy,  325. 

Ardagh,  429,430,  471. 

Ardclinis,  549 — Crozier  of,  550, 
555. 

Ardglass,  xxxvi. 

Ardkeen,  xxvi,  xxxvii. 

Armada,  Tlie  Spanish,  280,  300. 

Articruunaght,  233. 

Aughnasillagh,  523. 

Aumbry,  259,  463. 

Aura,  or  Orra,  16,  23,  98,  135, 
543. 

Ballaghmore,  287,  290. 

Bailee,  xxvi. 

Balleeny,  448. 

Balliuderry,  xii,  xxviii. 

Ballindreen,  231. 

Ballinlea,  329,  347. 

Ballintoy,  29,  315,  334,  335,  347. 

Ballyaghran,  223,  256,  259,  261, 
314. 

Ballyboggy,  267. 

Ballyboyland,  122. 

Ballybraddan,  97. 

Ballybregagh,  96. 

Ballycastle,  409  to  417,  432— see 
Ramoan. 

Ballyclough,  270. 

Ballycor,  xxviii. 

Ballycrag,  271. 

Ballycreghagh,  48. 


Ballyculter;  xxvi; 

Ballydooragh  or  Bunderaga,  bat- 
tie  of,  125. 

Ballydurnian,  407,  419. 

Ballygallin,  226. 

Ballygelly,  578,  580. 

Ballygilbert,  10,  573,  577,  580. 

Ballyhalbert,  xxvi. 

Ballyhibistock,  131. 

Ballyholme,  271. 

Ballyhunsley,  268. 

Ballyhutherland,  47. 

Ballykinlar,  xxxiv. 

Ballykeel,  272. 

Ballyleese,  257. 

Ballyleckan,  273. 

Ballylough,  29.  290. 

Ballymacaldrick,  58,  65. 

Bally macarrett,  xli. 

Ballymacounell,  xvii. 

Ballymagarry,  82,  272,  284,  308, 

Ballymacrea,  272. 

Ballymoney,  29,  119,  127,  142, 
259,  266,  350,  577,  xxix. 

Ballymoy,  296. 

Ballynag,  232. 

Ballynagashel,  100. 

Ballynaglough,  482. 

Ballvnagor,  131. 

Ballynarry  290. 

Ballynastraid,  318. 

Ballypatrick,  494. 

Ballyphilip,  xxvi. 

Ballyrashane,  230,  259,  264,  267, 
314,  xxix. 

Ballyreagh,  260,  485. 

Ballysally,  223. 

Ballyteerim,  524. 

Ballytobber,  273. 

Ballyuckan,  492. 

Ballyvaddy,  567,  583. 

Bally  veely,  424. 

Ballyveeuaght,  495,  496,  522. 

Ballyvoy,  484. 

Ballywalter,  xxvi. 


Ballywat,  265,  266. 

Ballyweaney,  100. 

Ballyvvillin,  257,  264,  xxix. 

Bangor,  xxxviii. 

Bann.  The  River,  157,  158,  228. 

Barnish,  483. 

Barrach,  521. 

Belfast,  xxviii,  xliii. 

Bellemontmore,  226. 

Bells  Ancient  Irish,  576. 

Benvarden,  267. 

Berragh,  451. 

Billy,' 132,  136,  290,  307,  314. 

Birn.  373. 

Bisset,  10,  354,  571. 

Blaris,  i,  xxvii. 

Boneyclassagh,  286. 

Brackney,  462. 

Brecan,  373. 

Breckagh.  122. 

Breen,  434. 

Bright,  128,  xxxv. 

Bryansford,  xxx. 

Broad  Stone,  77,  84,  99. 

Broombeg,  407,  419. 

Broomore,  385,  406. 

Broughanlea,  478. 

Broughanmore,  54,  121. 

Broughdrummin,  530. 

Broughgammon,  329. 

Broughmore,  461. 

Brace's  Castle,  377. 

Bruce's  Cave,  378. 

funamargy,  343,  402,  468  to  478. 
undooragh.  Battle  of,  125. 
Bunshancloney,  444. 
Burgo  de,  10. 
Bush,  The  River,  289. 
Bushmills,  287,  290,  313. 
Cairn,  46,  74. 
Cairnanmore,  522. 
Cairnkirn,  130,  346,  350. 
Calhame,  122. 
Camus,  154,  163,  229. 
Cape  Castle,  404,  405. 
Carivcashel,  95,  iCO. 
Carmavy,  Grange  of,  xx. 
Carnalbanagh,  226. 
Carnameanagh,  98. 
Carnanee,  226. 
Carnanmore,  458,  522. 
Carnbeg,  47,  48,  50. 


Carnbore,  133,  336. 

Carnoastle,  575,  580. 
Carncoggy,  130. 
Carncullagh,  130. 
Carnduff,  398. 
Carnealty,  402. 
Carnfeeoge,  131. 
Carngeeragh,  108. 
Carnglass,  226. 
Carnkirk,  296. 

Carnlough,  564,  567,  568,  583. 
Carnmoney,  xxviii 
Carnmoon,  292,  398. 
Carnsaggart,  401. 
Carnsampson,  402. 
Cam  side,  296. 
Carrick-a-Raide,  338. 
Carrick-Uisneach,  479. 
Carrowcrin,  95. 
Carrowcroey,  328. 
Carrowreagh,  347. 
Gary,  113,  463,  482. 
Cashel,    95,   96,    133,   291,    296, 
297,   318,  319,  329,  379,   444, 
482,   4S6,  520,  523,  524,   528, 
543. 

Cashinbarrow,  479. 

Cashlancarragh,  542. 

Castle  Carra,  528. 

Castlenagree,  296. 

Castleroe,  157,  202. 

Caves,  artificial.  48,  57,  58,  62 
79,  83,  108,  122,  &c.,  &c.,  and 
407. 

Censer,  ix. 

Chariots,  Ancient  Irish,  6,  159, 
303. 

Churchfield,  463. 

Circle  of  Stones,  see  Stone  C. 

Clare,  399. 

Clegnagh,  331. 

Clogh-a-Stookan,  533. 

Clogher,  295. 

Cloghfin,  283. 

Cloghnaboghall,  320. 

Cloghorr,  260. 

Cloghs,  542. 

Clough,  32,  49. 

Cloughanmurray,  405. 

Clough  Berragh,  426,  444,  451, 
459. 

CloughmiUs,  45,  55,  66,  xlvi. 


m. 


Cloughogan,  577. 

Coal,  used  anciently,  266,  378, 
480,  482. 

Coins,  Roman,  130,  271,  297, 
,,     Saxon,  130,  549. 

Coire  Breccan,  372. 

Coleraine,  St  Patrick  at,  160— 
St.  Columba  at,  162— Domini- 
cans of,  158,  165,  169,  174,  176, 
181,  189,  556— Town  of,  174— 
Bridge,  177,  186— Fortifica- 
tions, 180— Seige  of,  194,  209 
— Local  coins  of,  209 — Parlia- 
mentary representation  of,  213 
—Corporation  of,  191,  216— 
Regaliaof,  191,  218— Ecclesias- 
tical Commission  regarding, 
234— Church  of,  253— Census 
of,  xxix.  XXX. 

Colla,  The  Clan,  5. 

Comber,  xxvii. 

Connor,  521,  xxviii. 

Coolraney.  531. 

Corbally,  260. 

Corbe,  or  Comharbe,  69. 

Corbeg. 

Corkey,  97,  98,  102,  109. 

Corrstown,  260, 

Corvally  (Killyphaul),  427. 

Court-Mac-Martin,  538. 

Craig,  315. 

Craigagh  Wood,  530. 

Craigateinne,  565. 

Craigbau,  460. 

CraighiU,  316. 

Craighulliar,  260. 

Craigs,  63,  78. 

Craigtownmore,  256. 

Crannoge,  26,  55,  75,  79,  106, 
122,  134,  291,  487. 

Cromleach,  77,  227,  330,  331, 
338,  484,  495,  496,  518,  542, 
577. 

Cross  of  St.  Columbkille,  279. 

Cross,  124,  485,  517. 

Crossreagh,  227,  259,  260. 

Cross-skreen,  524,  527. 

Crosstagherty,  108. 

Crozier,  ancient,  549,  to  553, 

Cruachahara,  122. 

Crushybracken,  73. 

Cubbindall,  122. 


Culbane,  94,  102. 

Culfeightrin,  259,  458,  463,  to  517 

Culramoney,  122. 

Curraghmoney,  328. 

Cushendall,  535,  555. 

Cushendun,  518,  528,  563. 

Cushleak,  524,  531. 

Cutts  of  Coleraine,  156,  176, 

Dalaradia,  1,  161,  289. 

Dall,  the  river,  537,  543. 

Dalrieda,  1  to  32. 

Deflfrick,  133. 

Derryaghy,  xxi,  xxviii. 

Derrykeighan,     119,     127,     131, 

259,  xxix. 
Dervock,  105,  129,  131,  132,  148. 
Descart,  or  Diserta  Vera,  72,  74. 
Donaghadee,  xxvi. 
Dooey,  227. 
Doon  Point,  576. 
Doonan,  566. 
Doonaneeny,  399. 
Doonfin,  428. 
Doonmore,  380. 
Down,  XXV,  xxxvii. 
Dromore,  62. 
Druim  Indich,  423. 
Drumceat,  Synod  of,  162,  464. 
Drumack,  74. 
Drumaduin,  492,  496. 
Drumahit,  464. 
Drumaroad,  xxxiv. 
Drummaul,  xxviii.  xlv. 
Drumavoley,  418. 
Drumbare. 
Drumbeg,  xxvii. 
Drumbo,  xxvii. 
Di'umbest,  105. 
Drumbulcan,  4,  70,  446. 
Drunicrottagh,  133. 
Drumkeel,  97. 
Drummeeny,  420. 
Drumnacross,  46. 
Drumnacur,  549. 
Drumuagee,  325. 
Drumnakeel,  493. 
Drumnakeely,  46. 
Drumnascragh,  337. 
Drumnasole,  564 
Drumrankin,  98. 
Drumrory,  445. 
Drumskea,  120,  124. 


DrumtuUagh,  342. 

Dunaghy,  30,  47,  53,  259,  xxix. 

Dunaverney,  123. 

Dunbaire. 

Duubarrach,  520. 

Duucarbit,  459,  497. 

Dundarve,  295. 

Duiidermot,  45,  55. 

Dundonald,  xxvii. 

Dundooan,         ,  223. 

Dundruin,  xxxiv. 

Duneany,  61. 

Dunferte,  260. 

Dungallon,  564. 

Dunloy,  45,  57,  66,  xlvi. 

Dunluce,  267,  273  to  286,  307, 
314. 

Duumall,  553. 

Dunmallachd,  417,  467. 

Duumull,  260,  313. 

Dunrainey,  418.  467. 

Dunseverick,  29,  300,  307. 

Dunsford,  xxxvi. 

Eass-Craeibhe  (The  Cutts  ,  153, 
156. 

Eglish,  47,  461. 

Elf-shot  Cattle,  401. 

Elne,  or  Magh-Elue,  162. 

Enagh,  121,  124. 

Erenach,  68,  259,  261. 

Fairies,  The,  326. 

Farranalessary,  122. 

Farreumacallaa,  522. 

Feigh,  297,  307. 

Fey's-town,  584. 

Finvoy,  57,  59,  76,  87. 

Fir-Li,  5,  6. 

Floweriield,  225. 

Fomorians,  299,  315. 

Franciscans,  429,  471.  498,  571. 

Friary,  95,  102. 

Fullerton,  323,  341. 

Galloway,  9,  10,  153,  175,  354. 

Galbally,  554. 

Galvally,  257. 

Garroii  Point,  553,  554. 

Giant's  Bed,  96,  493. 

Giant's  Grave  (Kistvaen),  57, 131, 
264,  265,  271,  293,  298,  318, 
328,  334,  407,  420,  425,  485, 
491,  493,  494,  582— how  con- 
structed, 265. 


Giant's  Causeway,  298,  299. 
Giant's  Cut,  339. 
Glassaneeran,  136. 
Glenanpatrick,  130. 
Glenarriffe,  205,  319,  321,  544. 
Glenarm,  17,   32,  102,  569,  571, 

575,  585. 
Glenbuck,  61,  66. 
Glencloy,  566. 
Glenlough,  123. 
Glenstaghey,  339. 
Glenmakeeran,  494. 
Glenshesk,  411,  428,  429,  435. 
Glen-taise,  or  G.Tow,  .385,  411. 
Glens,  the  Names  of,  31. 
Glenwherry,  xxviii. 
Glynns,  2,  522,  574. 
Gloonan-stoue,  529,  xiii. 
Glore.  568. 

Gob  bin's  Heir  Castle,  424. 
Gold  ornaments,  123,   130,   131, 

155,  399,  401,  443,  459,  462, 

464,  vi. 
Gortaconny,  401. 
Gorticloghan,  231. 
Gortmillish,  443. 
Gortnacapple,  287. 
Gracehill,  130,  350. 
Grangicam  xxxvii. 
Grannagh,   66. 

Graves,  Stone-lined,  62,  427,  462. 
Greenan,  458. 
Greenanmore.  491. 
Green  Champion,  The,  491. 
Grey  abbey,  xxvi. 
Grey  Man's  Path,  486. 
Harp.  The  Legend  of  the,  229. 
Harphall,  567. 
Headless  Cross,  582. 
Hillsborough,  xxvii. 
Henuessy,   VV.   M.,  27,  161,  306, 

411. 
Hollow  Sword  Blade  Co.,  41,  540. 
Holywood,  xxvii.  xxxviii. 
Holy  Knowe,  268. 
Horse,  Description  of,  303. 
House  of  Commons,  Monument 

m,  erected  to  rebels,  205. 
Hy  Tuirtre,  5. 
Inch,  xxvi. 

Inis-Altic,  448,  529,  563. 
Inis-harcie,  xxvi. 


Iiii.slous;hlin,  vii. 

Inispollan,  72,  528,  529,  563. 

Instrument,  ornamented  with 
birds,  123. 

Irish  Cry,  428,  x,  xx. 

Irish  Society,  The,  190,  218. 

Island  Effrick,  233. 

Islandhoe,  130. 

Island  Magee,  xxviii. 

Islandmore,  259. 

Islandrose,  136. 

Island  Vardin,  226. 

Kells,  xxviii. 

Kilbride,  380. 

Kilbrittoune,  76,  121,  151. 

Kilclief,  xxvi. 

Kilconway,  8,  30,  83. 

Kilcoobin,  296. 

Kiloreg,  419. 

Kilcrogh,  451  (oaiitted  by  mis- 
take, in  line  13,  instead  of  in 
this  toivnland  read  in  Kil- 
crough. ) 

Kildoliagh,  150,  314,  xxix. 

Kildress,  98. 

Kileany,  380. 

Kilgarve,  530. 

Killagan,  54,  63,  259. 

Killalonan,  418 

Killane}^  xxvii. 

Killead,  xiv,  xxviii. 

Killough,  XXXV. 

Killowen  Parish,  The  Priests  of, 
253. 

KiUowcn,  486,  487,  488,  517, 
519,  531. 

Kilmacromey,  325. 

Kilmahamogue,  329,  342,  347. 

Kilmakee,  xxiii. 

Kilraandil,  56,  108. 

Kilmegan,  xxx. 

Kilmologe,  487. 

Kilmore,  544,  xxvi. 

Kilmoyangey,  96,  108,  408. 

Kilnioyle,  12'2.  266,  267,  342. 

Kihnud,  xxvii. 

Kilnacrue.  403. 

Kilnacrumbagh,  523. 

Kiliiadore,  542. 

Kiinaval.  542. 

Kil Patrick,  379. 

Kiltoorish,  97. 


Kilraghts,  57,  106,  107,  xxix. 
Kilrobert,  427. 
Kilsaltan,  10,  151,  153,  160. 
Kiltinnymore,  226. 
Kilvallagh,  528. 
Kilvoruan,  377,  379,  542. 
Kilwaughter,  583. 
Kilwee,  97. 
Kilcrappin. 
Kilcreen,  61,  63. 
Kildonnelly,  61. 
Killygleu,  582. 
Killygreine,  259. 
Killyleenan,  486. 
Killyluke,  459. 
Killymurris,  59,  S3. 
Killyphadrick,  493. 
Killyramer,  119. 
Kinban,  397. 
Kirkhills,  119. 
Knockans,  77,  379,  444. 
Knockavrinnan,  98. 
Knockbreda,  xxvii. 
Kiiockertotan,  260. 
Knockhollet,  99. 
Knockkenny,  542. 
Knocklayd,  425,  431,  444. 
Knocknahinch,  95. 
Knocknasoh}',  338. 
Lambeg,  xxv. 
Lamb's-fold,  121. 
Larrybane,  319,  33S. 
Lavan,  99. 

Levd  and  Lethed,  431,  490. 
Layd  Parish,  535,  539. 
Layd  Grange,  530,  539. 
Lemnaghmore,  296,  319. 
Lemnaghbeg,  330. 
Lignakilleagh,  94. 
Lisanisk,  99,  266. 
Lisbellanagrough,  323. 
Lisboy,  57. 
Lisburn,  i. 
Lislabban„  100. 
Lisnabraugh,  131. 
Lisnagalt,  232. 
Lisnagunoge,  296. 
Lisnarick,  26(i. 
Lismority,  346. 
Lissanoure,  105,  109. 
Lisserlus,  297. 
Liswatty,  232. 


VI. 


Livery,   131. 

Losset,  461. 

Loughanhill.  223. 

Loughaus,  150. 

Lough-a-verne,  56,  134,  329. 

Loughguile,  29,  93,  IGO,  110,  259. 

Loughinisland,  xxv. 

Loughlynch,  134. 

Love's-town,  61. 

Lubitavish,  544. 

Lurigedan,  543. 

Macaffee,  295. 

MacAlister,   132,  335,  398,  460. 

Macartney,  104,  106,  109,  110, 
111. 

Macauley,  18. 

MacComiell,  374. 

MacDonnell,  15,  16,  to  44— 
Alaster  (Sir  Alexander),  80, 
195  to  199 — His  Ancestors  and 
Descendants,  350,  537,  544. 

Mac{xlaime,  a  priest,  336. 

MacGrath,  The  heroic  affection  of 
a  sister  named,  234. 

MacHenry,  13.  153,  261. 

Macnaghten,  267,  272,  295. 

MacQuilliu.  11,  to  16. 

Maddybenny,  257. 

Maddyduff,  85. 

Magee,  492. 

Magh-Elne,  162. 

Magheracashel,  329. 

Magheradonnell,  130. 

Magheracioss,  273. 

Magheragall,  xxvii. 

Magheramesk,  v.  xxviii. 

Magheragaw,  488,  xi. 

Maghernahar,  329. 

Manister,  344. 

Manuscripts,  Irish,  174,  403,  428, 
477. 

Meehan,  Father.  55. 

Mill,  The  Irish,  343. 

Millburn,  222. 

Milloughan,  153,  155. 

Monevart,  536. 

Moneycannon,  79. 

Moneyduff,  48. 

Moneylecck,  84. 

Moneyneagh,  94. 

Moran,  Cardinal,  283,  470. 

Mosside,  343. 


Mostragee,  131. 

Mount  Druid.  334. 

Mount  Sandel,  156,  158,  176. 

Movanagher,  83. 

Moyarget,  404,  442. 

Moycraig,  344. 

Muckamore,  73. 

Mullaghduff,  130,  350. 

Mullaghsandell,  583. 

Munerie,  or  Mowbray,  30. 

Murloch,  488,  490.  497,  517,  521, 

522. 
Newtownards,  xxvi. 
O'Crilly,  69. 
O'Dimonu,  69. 
O'Hagan,  75. 

O'Hanlon,  Rev.  J.,  74,  152. 
O'Hara,  11,  34,  50,  55,  101,  103, 

121,  14.3,  225. 
O'Heale,  109. 

O'Kane,  13.  to  17,  153,  290,  300. 
I   O'Laverty,  27.  171,  448. 
I    O'Linn,  5,  7,  8. 
0'Mulder_i,  or  Read,  330. 
O'Murray.  261. 
O'Neill,  Shane,   19,  20,  277,  409, 

546 — his    death,    525 — burial, 

527.  571. 
O'Quin,  350. 
0'  I'uohill,  69. 
Olcan,  71. 
Ossian's  grave,  542. 
Ouig,  374. 

Ou chill  graveyard,  265. 
Parliament  of  Drumahit,  465. 
Park,  444. 
Pharis,  97. 
Phillips,  Thomas,  32,   156,   168, 

179,  193,  262,  286 
Piscina,  259,  463. 
Poisoned  by  a  Spy,  M'Donnell, 
Portballintrae,  178,  263,  286. 
Portbraddan,  318. 
Port  Bretts,  or  Brittas,  400,  415, 

417. 
Portcammon,  259,  287. 
Portnaw,  50,  80. 
Portrush,  178,  256  to  259,  262  to 

264,  312. 
Portstewart,  257  to  261. 
Prolusk,  327. 
Racavan,  xxix. 


Ranioan,  259,  516,  xlvi. 

Rashee,  xxviii. 

Rasharkin,  60,  68,  85,  446,  xxix. 

Rathlin,  21,  351. 

Rathmullan,  xxvi. 

Red  Bay,  49,  545  to  548,  554,  555. 

Retreat  Castle,  543. 

Rights,  The  Book  of,  4,  6. 

Ringing  Stone  Cromleach,  338. 

Roads,  yNncient,  420,  462,  x,  xi, 

xvi. 
Rocking  Stone,  227,  443. 
Roserelick,  256. 
Rosglass,  XXXV. 
Round  Tower,  449,  iii. 
Route.  2,  29. 

Saints— Brecain.  74;  Bridget,  6; 
Carbreus,    162  ;     Ceelin,    xii ; 
Crarog,  or  Mocuaroc,  74  ;  Col- 
mau-Ela,  73,  373,  xii  ;  Colman 
Muilin,     127  ;     Comgall,    163, 
352,  353,  374,  xii  ;  Enan,  408, 
423,  552 ;  Erlach,  408  ;  Conad- 
h-in,    apparently  Conaing,  son 
of   Lucunan,    575 ;    Fiachrius, 
463;    Kieran,  373,  536  ;  Mac- 
Lasius,    or     MacLasire,    569  ; 
Macnisius,  448,  552 ;    Magaw, 
xii;    Mochay,   128;  Mocrevin, 
570  ;     Mologe,       487,       489  ; 
Molua  of  Clonfert,  xiii ;  Nem, 
342;    Olcan,    71.  306,    445  to 
448;    Patrick,    71,     130,    160, 
161,  306,   318,    342,    408,   445 
to  448,  522  ;  Ruan,  or  Luan, 
377,  380,  542  ;    Sanctan,  151, 
152,   153;     Senan,    448,    459, 
563. 
St.  Cunning,  577. 
Sandal  Mount   (see  Mount  San- 
dal). 
Savage,  101. 
Shanes,  100. 
Shesk,  460,  467- 
Shilvodan,  xxviii. 
Skerry,  xxix. 
Skerryravel,  63. 
Slane,  Baron  of,  60. 
Slavery  in  Ireland,  6. 
Solar,  72,  575. 
Spanish  Armada,  300. 
Stewart,  319. 


Stone  Circle,  83,  259,  294. 
Straidbilly,  293. 
Straidkilly,  567- 
Strathpatrick,  529. 
Stran,  130. 

Tales  of  the  Ancient  Irish— The 
Story  of  Tuagh,  227— Story  of 
Atherne,  288— The  Sick-bed  of 
CuchuUan,  340— The  Courtship 
of  Eimir,  352— The  Story  of 
the  Lady  Taise,  380— The  Exile 
of  the  Children  of  Uisneach, 
479_TheWandringsof  Ulixes, 
referred  to  407- 

Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas,  The 
Roll  of,  237. 

Templeastragh,  316. 

Templecooil,  374. 

Tempi eoughter,  570. 

Tehorney,  74. 

Termon  Lands,  69. 

Tickmacrevin,  569. 

Toberann,  346. 

Toberbilly,  405. 

Toberbride,  444. 

Tobercappin,  273. 

Toberdoney,  55.  133,  136,  330, 
564. 

Toberdornan,  260. 

Toberkeagh,  325. 

Tobernagola,  96. 

Tonduff,  297. 

Torr,  491,  518,  522. 

Tow,  or  Tease  Glen,  385,  411. 

Triangular  Pagan  Monuments, 
315,  328. 

Tiostan,  543. 

Trummery,  vii. 

Trumpets,  Ancient  Irish,  106. 

Tuagh.  The  Lady.  227. 

Tuaigh  Inver,  228. 

Tullagore,  121. 

TuUagmurry,  261. 

Tullaghore,  443. 

Tullans,  222. 

Tully,  97,  99. 

Tullyban,   131. 

Tully nakill,  xxvi. 

Tullyrusk,  xx. 

Tuoghs,  or  Districts  of  the  Route, 
29. 

Turnacreagh,  100. 


Turnarobert,  445. 
Turnley,  Francis,  538,  564. 
Turraloskin,  403. 
Turreagh,  443. 
Tyiella,  xxvi. 
Urbal,  132. 
Vow,  76,  80,  83,  135. 
Wattrfoot,  554. 


Wells,  Holy,  55,  70, 97,  306,  346, 
404,  450,  464,  492,  v,  ix,  xii, 
xviii.  (see  names  beginning 
with  Tober). 

Winehill,  294 

Witter,  xxvi. 

Whitepark,  333. 
I   Whiskey,  179. 


Index   of  Priests  referred   to  as  officiating  in  the  Diocese 
within  the  last  300  years — 


Beatson,  395. 

Boylan,  xlix. 

Boyle,  xlviii. 

Brady,  i. 

Brennan,    85,    87,    88,  336,   500, 

Bradley',  387. 

Burns,  1. 

Campbell,  1. 

Carr.  498. 

Carrol,  252,  457. 

Christian,  xxvi. 

Clinton,  xxvi. 

Close,  64. 

Connolly,  392. 

Convery,  1. 

Conway,  xlvi. 

Cosslett,  391. 

Crickard,  li. 

Crolly,  li. 

Cunningham,  310. 

Curoe,  64,  91,  237. 

Darragh,  li. 

Delahunty,  591. 

Dempsey,  438,  506,  568. 

Denvir,  139. 

Donnelly,  li. 

Dorrian,   Most  Rev.   Dr.,  death 

of,  439. 
Dunn,  394,  456. 
Eardly,  Hi. 
Falloona,  394,  lii. 
Fanning,  87,  88,  115. 
Fegan,  87,  309. 
Fitzsimons,  512,  515,  561. 
Garland,  532. 
Green,  87,  88,  245,  lii. 
Hanna,  xxxi. 


Hassett,  591. 

Headley,  395. 

Hendron,  437. 

Henry,  xlviii,  liii. 

Hillon,  xxvi. 

Kavanagh,  lii. 

Keane,  lii. 

Kearney,  251,  516. 

Kennedy,  lui. 

Killen,  251,  455,  505. 

Landy,  568. 

Laverty,  396,  xlviii,  xlix. 

Lennon,  117,  liii. 

Linney,  115. 

Lynch,  560. 

Lynn,  560. 

M'AUster,  432,  438,  liv. 

M'Ardle,  Iv. 

M'Cashin,  xlix, 

Maoauley,  64,  113,  118,  245,  249, 

498,  586,  xlviii,  Iv. 
M 'Bride,  Iv. 
M'Cabe,  Ivi. 
M 'Cambridge,  Ivi. 
M'Caim,  85,  91,  311,  455,  Ivi. 
M'Cartan,  64,  91,   139,  348,  392, 

436,  Ivii. 
M'Cormick,  388,  453. 
M 'Court,  590,  xxxiv,  Iviii. 
JNl'Cusker,  87. 
M'Donnell,  558.  Iviii. 
M'Erlane,  141,  142,  Iviii. 
M'Evoy,  xxxvii. 
M 'Garry,  451,  498,  Iviii. 
M'Gorrian,  348. 
M'Glam,  336. 
M'Grath,  234,  hx. 
M'Greevey,  85,  91,  456,  588. 


M'Grehan,  311,  xlv. 

M 'Henry,  94. 

M 'Keating,  xxxvii. 

M'Keefry,  86. 

M'Kenna,   312,  509,  561,  xxxiv, 

lix. 
M'Kenny,  331,  392,  510. 
M'Kinley,  lix. 
M'llvenny,  Ix. 
M'Lernon,  454. 
M'Loughlin,  64,  110,  111,    116, 

138,  234. 
M'Manus,  310. 
M'Mullan.  85,  87,  88,   137,238, 

239,  252,  392,  437,   498,  517, 

588. 
M'Nally,  112,  113,  115. 
M'Neili, 
M 'Shane,  xlvi. 
M'Vagh,   or  M'Veigh,    86,   234, 

308. 
M 'Williams,  xxxi. 
Magee,  64,  116,  545,  lix. 
Magill,  liii. 
Marner,  xxxvi. 
Moore,  385,  liv. 
Morgan,  xxvii. 
Morris,  5S8. 
Mulcahv,  349, 
Mulhollan,   309,    3J4,   557,   567, 

586. 
Murphy,  liv. 
Murray,  391,  452,  454. 
Neeson,  388,  453. 
Nolan,  Ix. 
O'Brallaghan,  387. 
O'Boyle,  Ix.  I 

Corrigenda.— At  p.  135  the  child  of  Coll  M'Donnell  is  stated,  on 
the  authority  of  the  pursuivant,  who  chronicled  the  movements  of 
Sussex  in  the  north,  to  have  been  fostered  by  a  chieftain  named 
O'Keane  (O'Kane),  but  the  traditions  of  the  county  of  Antrim  name 
the  chieftain  O'Quin.     See  p.  350 

P.  451.  Parish  of  Armoy. — For  correction  see  Kilcrough  in  the 
Index. 


O'Brien,  Ix. 

O'Connor,  Ixi. 

O'Donnell,  572,  Ixi. 

O'Doran,  557. 

O'Hagan,  589. 

O'Hamill,  556. 

0,Hara,  xxxiv. 

O'Heale,  85. 

O'Kane,  Ixi. 

O'Keane,  Ixii. 

O'Laverty,  28,  586. 

O'Loan,  xlvii. 

O'Loughlin,   141. 

O'Lynn,  87,  112,  113,  312. 

O'Mally,  534. 

O'Neill,  85,  137,  394,  454. 

O'Pye,  513. 

O'Reilly,  Ixii. 

O'Sullivan,  Ixii. 

Owens,  Ixii. 

Phelan,  533. 

Quin,  92,  Ixiii. 

Rogers,  348,  394. 

Sheehan,  liv. 

Smith,  Ixiv. 

Storey,  Ixiv. 

Russell,  xlvi. 

ScuUin,  xxviii. 

Stuart,  xlv. 

Starkey,  505,  516,  532,  562,  592. 

Teggart,  587. 

Tohill,  xlix. 

TuUy,  Ixiv. 

Walsh,  500  to  516. 

Waterson,  64,  xxxi. 

Young,  590. 


THE  END. 


AN    HISTORICAL  ACCOUNT 

OF  THE 

DIOCESE  OF   DOWN  AND  CONNOR, 

ANC1P]NT  AND  MODERN, 

BY   THE   REV.    JAMES   O'LAVERTY,    M.R.I.A., 

Fellow  of  the  Royal  Historical  and  Arclmological  Association 
of  Ireland, 

PARISH  PRIEST  OF  HOLYWOOD. 


These  Volumes  form  a  series  uniform  in  size  and  binding,  each  of 
which  is  complete  in  itself  and  treats  of  a  group  of  Parishes  in  the 
Diocese  which  are  adjacent  to  one  another. 

The  different  Volumes  are  so  arranged  that  a  person  may  provide 
himself  with  the  one,  which  refers  to  the  district  in  which  he  feels 
interested,  and  not  be  put  to  the  expense  of  purchasing  the  whole 
series.  Each  Volume,  in  addition  to  the  Ecclesiastical  History, 
contains  the  General  History  of  the  locality  from  the  remotest 
ages,  the  Antiquities,  the  Legends,  and  Stories  of  the  Irisli  Bards, 
the  Genealogical  Accounts  of  the  ancient  families,  the  Formation 
and  Transmission  of  the  most  of  the  present  estates,  and  other 
historical  associations  connected  with  the  portion  of  the  country  to 
which  it  refers. 

VOL.  I.  CONTAINS  520  PAGES,  CROWN  OCTAVO. 

It  treats  of  Mounie,  Kilkeel,  Annalong,  Kilcoo,  Newcastle,  Maghera, 
Bryansford,  Kilraegau,  Castlewellan,  Dundrum,  Kinelarty,  Lough- 
inisland,  Lecale,  Ballykinlar,  Bright,  Killough,  Ardglass,  Dunsford, 
Bailee,  Kilclief,  Strangford,  Saul,  Downpatrick,  Inch,  Kilmore, 
Crossgar,  Killyleagh,  .Saintfield,  Killaney,  Killinchy,  Ardmillan,  the 
Ards,  Portaferry,  Ardkeen,  Kircubbin,  Ballyhalbert,  Ballywalter, 
Grey  abbey,  and  all  the  districts  adjacent  to  those  places. 

VOL.   II.  CONTAINS  559  PAGES,  CROWN  OCTAVO. 

It  treats  of  Newtownards,  Donaghadee,  Groomsport,  Bangor,  Com- 
ber, Dundonald,  Holywood,  Ballymaoarrett,  Castlereagh,  Drumbo, 
Drumbeg,  Hillsborough.  Blaris,  Lisburn,  Magheragall,  Magheramesk, 
Aghalee,  Aghagallon,  Ballinderry,  Glenavy,  Crumlin,  Killead,  Tully- 
rusk,  Dundfod,  Derryaghy,  Lanibeg,  Dunmurry,  Hannahstowu, 
Ligoniel,  Belfast,  Greencastle,  and  all  the  adjacent  districts. 

The  appendix  contains,  in  addition  to  other  matters  of  interest,  a 
portion  of  a  7th  Century  Missal,  the  history  of  which  is  connected 


with  the  monastery  of  Bangor;  and  the  Antiphonary  of  Bangor,  one 
of  the  most  precious  documents  connected  with  the  Irish  Church, 
occupies  36  closely  printed  pages. 

VOL.  III.  CONTAINS  500  PAGES,  CROWN  OCTAVO. 

It  treats  of  the  Civil  Parishes  of  Carnmoaey,  Carrickfergus,  Kilroot, 
Islandmagee,  Templecorran,  Glynn,  Inver,  Larne,  Kilwaughter, 
Raloo,  Ballynure,  Ballylinny,  Templepatrick,  Ballymartin,  Doagh, 
Ballycor,  Eashee,  Kilbride,  Donegore,  Nilteen,  Muckainore,  Antrim, 
Shilvodan,  Connor,  Drummaul,  Cranfield,  Duneane,  Ballyscullion, 
Portglenone,  Craigs,  Ahoghill,  Kilconriola,  Ballyclug,  Glenwherry, 
Racavan,  Skerry,  Newtowncrommelin,  and  part  of  Dunaghy.  In 
this  Volume  is  embodied  the  Memoir  on  the  Antiquities  of  each 
Parish,  compiled  by  the  officers  of  the  Ordnance  Survey. 

VOL.   IV.  CONTAINS  670  PAGES,  CROWN  OCTAVO. 

It  treats  of  the  Civil  Parishes  of  Dutiaghy  (Clough),  Dundermot, 
Kilraghts,  Rasharkin,  Loughguile,  Ballymoney,  Derrykeighau,  Kil- 
dollagh,  Coleraine,  Ballyaghran,  Ballyrashane,  Ballywilliu  (Portrush), 
Dunluce,  Drumtullagh,  Ballintoy,  Rathlin,  Ramoan  (Ballycastle), 
Armoy,  InispoUau  (Cushendun),  Layd  (Cusheudall),  Ardclinis, 
(Carnlough),  Tickmacrevan  (Glenarm),  Carncastle,  and  Killyglen. 
The  appendix,  in  addition  to  other  matters  of  interest,  contains  the 
Ordnance  Survey  Memoirs  relating  to  the  Civil  Parishes  of  Blaris, 
Magheramesk,  Aghalee,  Aghagallon,  Ballinderry,  Camlin,  Killead, 
Tullyrusk,  Deryyaghy,  and  Lambeg. 

The  four  Volumes,  beautifully  bound  in  Green  Cloth,  Lettered, 
will  be  sent  post  paid  to  any  address  in  the  United  Kingdom,  or 
America,  on  receipt  of  a  Post  Office  Order  for  25s.,  payable  in 
Holy  wood,  Co.  Down. 

Volume  II.  [II,  or  IV.  will  be  sent  separately  (each)  for  7/6 ;  but 
as  only  a  few  copies  of  Vol.  I.  remain,  it  can  be  supplied  only  to 
Subscribers  for  Vols.  II  ,  III.  and  IV. 

Each  Volume  is  complete  in  itself. 

"Historians,  like  the  Rev.  Mr.  O'Laverty,  having  reputation  to 
lose,  could  not  afford  to  violate  records,  in  order  to  present  their 
own  opinions  to  the  world.  The  work  attests  his  zeal  as  an  Anti- 
quarian, and  he  writes  fairly  when  dealing  with  general  history." 

"It  will  have  a  great  attraction  for  tlie  Irish  in  Amerii-a  and  in 
ovir  Colonies."— T/te  Belfast  News-Letter. 

Apply  to 

Rev.  JAMES  O'LAVERTY,  P.P.,   IIOLYWOOD, 
CO.  DOWN,  IRELAND.